Domino High Musical
by iBelieveInAngels
Summary: Atem and Yugi are going out for the lead roles in their High School's musical! Will the Domino High student body survive this shake-up? Will Atem and Yugi fall for each other in the process? Now complete, sequel in progress.
1. Start of Something New

WARNING!!!!

This fiction is rated "T" for Teen. It is rated T for a reason. This fiction is about High School, and will be about High School things. It will include things like language, adult situations, language, possible drug talk, language, yaoi, language, boyish attitudes, language, undesirable behavior of a minor, and language. And did I mention language?

Atem: Only about a hundred times.

Angel: Yeah, well you have a potty mouth Atem.

Anyway. Further warnings- It's a parody of High School Musical. In the sense that some lines may be familiar, there will be basketball, math, drama and a musical. And that's pretty much where the similarities end. I think. Also, I'm not using the soundtrack from High School Musical (except maybe for chapter titles). The cast will be new songs.

Also, a warning to potential flamers! Your flames shall be used to make toasty golden marshmallows!! Which you may not eat!!!

Yugi: Why do you need flames to roast marshmallows? We have Atem to do that!

Angel: Hmmm…. Good point, Yugi. *evil grin*

Atem: Oh for the love of Ra, not again!

**I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!, High School Musical, Lifehouse, or Tacky Red Suits.**

* * *

**Chapter One- Start of Something New **

_Anything can happen _

_When you take a chance_

……

_This could be the start_

_Of something new_

_It feels so right_

_To be here with you (ooh)_

_And now looking in your eyes_

_I feel in my heart (feel in my heart)_

_The start of something new_

_-Start of Something New, High School Musical _

* * *

The scene looked like something out of a romantic ski trip ad. It was nighttime-in fact it was New Years Eve- and the starry sky made a beautiful backdrop for the snow topped hills, the cozy-yet-huge lodge, and the smoke winding lazily out of the chimney. Yep, it was perfect.

And the small, spiky-haired youth inside would rather have been anywhere else.

The only reason he'd come on this stupid trip was because his Grandfather was giving a speech about and receiving an award for his recent findings in Egypt. He'd discovered the tomb of Anubis, and while the boy was glad for his Grandfather, he thought it unnecessary for him to attend because he wasn't even allowed to listen to the speech or see his Grandfather receive the award. No one under the age of 18 was allowed in that hall tonight. Instead they were being directed to a "Young Adult Celebration."

'_Yeah right,' _the boy scoffed to himself. _'A bunch of sugar pumped kids bouncing off the walls and into each other is more like it. No thank you.'_

Tonight he was going to stay in his room and read his book, and nothing was going to stop him.

"Yugi Moto, how many times do I have to tell you to stop reading that book and get dressed? The party's about to start!"

'_Oh, Grandpa's still here.'_

Yugi didn't even glance up from his book. "I'm not going, Gramps. You know I can't dance. Or party."

"Nonsense! Besides, if you stayed locked up here all by yourself on New Years Eve, I'd feel guilty."

'_And here he goes with the guilt trips again. Well, he won't get me this time!' _

"I'm not alone, Grandpa! I've got my book!"

"That's not the same, Yugi. But… I can see that there's no changing your mind."

Yugi breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'll just call downstairs and let them know that I can't attend."

And there goes the relief.

"You can't do that, it's your party! Go, have fun; I'll be fine!"

Grandpa shook his head. "You can't have it both ways. Either we both stay, or we both go. It's your choice."

Well, what was he supposed to do?

"Fine, I'll go get dressed."

* * *

In the same lodge, a different spiky haired youth was also wishing to be anywhere but where he was. He could have been over at his friends house playing card games and sneaking beer while their parents weren't looking; but instead he was trapped on top of a mountain with no cable, no Wi-Fi, and a puny basket ball court that was overrun with little people from about 11 AM to 7 PM. In short, it was living hell.

And another thing- he was being forced to share a room with his step father. Okay, more like adopted father, but step father was just shorter and less complicated. And his step father was Maximillion J. Pegasus, AKA the Most Annoying Man in the World. He never stopped bugging his not-son about anything and everything, including the stupid party that was taking place in the lodge's second ballroom. Well, maybe there were some people who enjoyed that sort of thing, but not this boy! No sir, he was staying in this basketball court even if he had to chain himself to the wall to do so.

He dribbled the ball to half court, faked left, and then took aim for the basket. Just as he was about to shoot, the door swung open and banged against the wall hard enough to shake the basketball hoops. Startled, the boy threw the ball wrong and it bounced off the rim and to the floor. Livid, he turned to face the intruder and came face to face with his equally livid step father. He was already dressed in a tacky red suit and his long silver hair had been straightened into submission.

The boy opened his mouth to tell his step father to bug off, but Pegasus beat him to it.

"Atem Yami! Get dressed and get over to that party now, or I'll cut off your credit cards for a month! And you know I mean it!"

'_Damn that man to the tenth circle of hell.' _Atem swore in his head.

"Fine! I'm going!"

* * *

Yugi walked into the party and immediately knew he should've stayed upstairs, award be damned! Rather that the little sugar coated runts he'd been expecting, the place was overrun with sugar coated teenagers. Horny sugar coated teenagers from the looks of things.

'_Well I promised Grandpa that I'd go, not that I'd stay forever. I'll pop in for all of five minutes and then I'll leave.'_

Atem was having similar thoughts. He'd been cornered by about five different girls that night and all of them wanted to get him under some mistletoe. While Atem found them attractive, he was nowhere near plastered enough to allow himself to get roped in with these air headed rich brats, nor was there enough alcohol in the world to fix that.

Atem was just about to leave when the DJ got onto the microphone. "Well guys, it's time for our random karaoke picks! If you're hit by the spotlight, you're it!"

Atem smirked. _'Man I feel sorry for whatever loser gets suckered into that.'_

Then he was blinded by a spotlight.

'_Oh, hell on a pogo stick.' _

"No! No w- Ah! Hey quite pushing me you-"

And before Atem could finish his curse, he was pushed up on stage. He looked around to see who else had been caught and saw another boy being shoved up onto the platform. The boy looked about as freaked out as Atem felt.

The DJ came up behind them and handed each boy a microphone. "Don't worry kids, someday you'll thank me for this." Then he smirked. "Or not." And with that he patted Atem on the shoulder, gave the other boy a wink, and jumped off the stage.

Atem glanced again at the boy. He was surprised at how short the kid was; he looked about twelve. And he still looked like he was about to faint. Atem gave the kid a smile and muttered, "Let's just get this over with, yeah?"

He looked to the screen and started to sing, thanking God that it was a song he was familiar with.

_**"Desperate for changing  
Starving for truth  
I'm closer to where I started  
Chasing after you  
I'm falling even more in love with you  
Letting go of all I've held onto  
I'm standing here until you make me move  
I'm hanging by a moment here with you"**_

And with that he turned to walk off the stage, but then the other boy began to sing.

**"**_**Forgetting all I'm lacking,"**_

And Atem froze.

"_**Completely incomplete,"**_

'_Wow_,' Atem thought. '_This kid sounds like…. Wow!_'

"_**I'll take your invitation**_

_**You take all of me now," **_

And then Atem joined in.

**"I'm falling even more in love with you  
Letting go of all I've held onto  
I'm standing here until you make me move  
I'm hanging by a moment here with you  
I'm living for the only thing I know  
I'm running and not quite sure where to go  
And I don't know what I'm diving into  
Just hanging by a moment here with you"**

'_Hey, this is kinda fun!_' Atem though to himself.

_**There's nothing else to lose  
There's nothing else to find  
There's nothing in the world  
That can change my mind  
There is nothing else  
There is nothing else  
There is nothing else**_

'_Wow, I'm actually enjoying this!_' Yugi realized.

_**"Desperate for changing  
Starving for truth  
I'm closer to where I started  
Chasing after you....**_

**I'm falling even more in love with you****  
Letting go of all I've held onto  
I'm standing here until you make me move  
I'm hanging by a moment here with you  
I'm living for the only thing I know  
I'm running and not quite sure where to go  
And I don't know what I'm diving into  
Just hanging by a moment here with you**

**Just hanging by a moment  
Hanging by a moment  
Hanging by a moment here with you**

Yugi didn't even hear the applause coming from the watchers. He was too busy staring at the most handsome boy he'd ever seen.

The boy smiled and held out his hand. "I'm Atem."

"Yugi," he responded, taking the proffered hand.

"Nice to meet you." This time, it was in unison.

The second they jumped off the stage, Yugi realized that his drive to finish his book was gone. "Hey, Atem?"

"Yeah?"

Yugi looked away sheepishly. "Do you- I mean… are you doing anything? It's just, I don't know anyone here and-"

"WHAT?!? I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

The DJ had thrown on some kind of dance track and Atem could barely hear his own words. He grabbed the kid- _Yugi_, he corrected himself- by the wrist and pulled him over to the edge of the room, where there was a sliding glass door that led onto an almost deserted balcony. It wasn't much better, but when they shut the door and walked to the ledge it was easier to hear each other.

"Well," Yugi started again. "I was going to-" He broke off, abruptly realizing that he'd seen this boy- _Atem_, he corrected himself- before. "Hey wait a minute! Do you go to Domino High?"

Atem nodded.

"I thought I recognized you! I go there too!"

Atem resisted the urge to smack himself in the head. "Oh yeah, I remember you now! I mean how could I not, you're the only other person in school who's crazy enough to style their hair after that of an Egyptian pharaoh."

Yugi smirked. Actually, his hair was slightly different from Atem's. Yugi's hair was black with edges dyed red and blonde bangs. Atem just had blond hair. "Hey," Yugi retorted playfully, "The Nameless Pharaoh had good taste!"

"I know, but all my friends thought I was nuts. I told them that it wasn't my fault that I'd been raises by freaking Egyptian History addict. He's the one who's responsible for this fiasco," Atem gestured behind him to where the party music was still blasting at ear-shattering volume.

"You're Pegasus' son, then?" Yugi asked.

Atem held back his twitch. "Adopted son," he said softly.

Yugi didn't notice the change in the other boy. "That's so cool! He's giving my Grandpa an award tonight. It's for-"

"Discovering the lost tomb of Anubis!" Atem finished.

"Yeah," Yugi sighed. "Actually, I'm only at this party because of my Grandpa. He said that if I didn't attend then he wouldn't go to the award ceremony."

Atem looked shocked. "He meant it?"

"Yep." Yugi tilted his head to one side. "So, you're a senior, right?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah." Atem hadn't been expecting the change in subject. "What are you, a freshman?"

Yugi scowled. "Hey! I'm sixteen, thank you very much!"

Atem smirked. "Touched a nerve, did I?" Then he quickly changed the subject before Yugi could respond. "So, I haven't seen you at school lately. Where've you been?"

"Oh." Yugi was thrown off. _'He noticed that?'_ "Well, when my Grandpa left for Egypt, I went with him."

For the second time Atem was shocked by what Yugi had said. "He just let you take off from school like that?"

Yugi suddenly looked very apprehensive. "Uh, yeah. See, I studied while we were there. And anyway, he and I both thought it would be best for me to take a break from school for awhile."

It was at that moment that Atem remembered why he knew that Yugi had gone missing. Before he'd left, he'd admitted to his friends that he was gay. And someone had overheard, and suddenly, Yugi's life had become hell. When Yugi had vanished, a lot of people had said that he transferred out and was going to some boarding school in Canada. Which had made no sense, but nobody had contradicted the rumor.

The boys were quiet for another moment, and then Yugi looked over to Atem. "By the way, I never got to thank you."

'_For what?' _Atem wondered.

"For what?" He asked.

"You saved me from the football team one day after school."

It took a few seconds for Atem to dredge up the memory, but eventually he did recall pushing Rex and Weevil off of some kid they were about to kick the crap out of.

"Wait, that was you? Wow, I feel like a complete moron."

Yugi gave him a sympathetic smile. "It's alright I'm used to people avoiding-"

"No, that's not what I meant!" Atem cried; unexpectedly he was finding it very important that Yugi not get the wrong idea. "I meant that I can't believe that I didn't realize sooner that that had been you."

Yugi didn't know what to say. He was sure that by this time Atem would have been halfway to New York, not still standing here next to him. After his "big confession", the only people who stayed by him were his friends Joey and Tristan- but they were kind of obligated to. The three of them had been friends since kindergarten. Joey was fond of comparing their friendship to herpes. "That shit is for life!" He'd say, before Tristan put him in a headlock and called him a "girly man" and told him to stop hanging around with his sister so much.

Yugi was pulled out of his thoughts by the DJ's voice over the microphone. "Alright guys! 15 seconds until the New Year!"

Yugi looked around wildly. No way it was that late! Atem looked equally shocked.

" 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!!!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!"

And then people started grabbing each other and making out.

Feeling suddenly very awkward, Yugi looked away from Atem's shocked face. "I should probably go find my Grandpa."

"Yeah," Atem replied, feeling suddenly very hollow. "I should probably go find Peg- my dad."

Yugi started walking away, and Atem called after him. "I'll see you at school, Yugi!" And Yugi turned back and waved. "Yeah, sure!" Even though he was convinced that Atem was just saying that.

* * *

Back in the hotel room, Solomon Moto turned to his Grandson and said, "So Yugi, how was the party?"

Yugi shrugged. "It was okay. I met up with this guy from school after the DJ made us get up and sing karaoke together."

Solomon gave Yugi a puzzled look, but said no more.

A few floors up, Maximillion Pegasus- having heard a similar proclamation from Atem, turned to his adopted son and said in a disbelieving tone, "Now really Atem, stop making up stories. You know full well that we didn't hire a DJ for this event."

* * *

Oooooh, spooky

O.o

Please review! It can be a simple "Hey I like it." Just four words! That's not asking much, right?!?!?!

Atem and Yugi's song- Hanging by a Moment, by Lifehouse (which I don't own.


	2. Paparazzi

Angel- Okay, so this is a bit shorter than the first chapter, but it also doesn't have a song, so that's why.

Yugi- I wanna sing!!!!!

Atem- Yeah me too!!!!

Angel- Oh be quiet you two. You can't sing all the time! Jeez, what do you think this is, some kind of cheesy Disney movie?

Atem and Yugi- Ummmmm, YES!?!?!?

I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or Paparazzi by Lady Gaga.

**Chapter Two- Paparazzi (I'm your biggest Fan)**

_I'm your biggest fan I'll follow you until you love me Papa-Paparazzi _

_-Paparazzi, Lady Gaga_

Atem was only half listening to his best friend's chatter about basketball and the upcoming championship game against their arch rival, the Dice High Sharks. While yes, Atem was pumped for the game and looking forward to kicking those preppy, fake players collective ass, it was 7:30 AM on the first day of school after Christmas break; He just wasn't conscious enough to care at this point. In fact, Atem was lucky that he hadn't gotten into an accident yet- his driving was leaving something to be desired.

"Atem! This is the third time you've circled the parking lot and passed about twenty spaces. Do you mind telling me what you're looking for?"

Atem jumped and glanced apologetically at his friend, Marik Ishtar. "Sorry, Marik. I'm just tired."

Marik gave Atem a panicked look. "No, no! That's not good! You can't be tired, you have to be awake, focused!" He barley waited for Atem to finish parking before he'd opened his door and walked around to Atem's side. "C'mon, you need coffee. With sugar."

Atem rolled his eyes and shoved Marik out of his way. "Practice isn't until three, Marik. I'll be awake by then."

Marik's protest was cut off by the squeals of delight as the cheerleaders spotted them. "OhMyGod, it's Atem and Marik!"

Atem plastered a smile on his face and waved at the skinny, short-skirted girls. What was with cheerleaders and their fascination with their uniforms, anyway? And furthermore, what was with their fascination with the basketball team? Didn't cheerleaders normally go for the football players?

One girl in particular, Rebecca, seemed to have a thing for Atem alone. She was always trying to flirt with him and constantly grabbing onto his arm like it was a lifeline.

"Hiiiiii, Atem!" Rebecca purred, dragging out the "hi" to make it about six syllables. It reminded Atem of something that Pegasus would do.

"Hey Rebecca," he said distractedly, trying to inconspicuously free his arm from her tentacles- oops, arms.

She wasn't giving up that easily though. "How was your break? Did you get everything you wanted for Christmas?"

"I don't celebrate Christmas," Atem lied, hoping to shake her off. "Really?" Rebecca asked. "That's such a coincidence, neither do I!"

Atem stared at her. Perhaps the girl had forgotten about the silver cross that was dangling from her neck.

Rebecca wasn't done yet. "Actually, I got a new piercing for Christmas." She smiled suggestively. "Want to see it?"

Atem shot Marik a look of absolute horror. "Help me!" he mouthed.

Marik ran over to stand behind Rebecca and covered her eyes with his hands. "Guess who?!?" he shouted into her ear.

"AH! Get off me!" She screamed, letting go of Atem's arm and flailing at Marik's hands. Atem took his chance and ran for it. "'Bye, Rebecca!" He called over his shoulder as Marik let go of Rebecca and took off after Atem. Neither boy stopped running until they were safely inside their homeroom. "You know," Marik said once he and Atem had caught their breath, "You should really give her a shot. I mean, I know that she's annoying as hell, but she's pretty cute."

Atem shrugged. "Nah, man. She's not my type."

Marik stared at him in disbelief. "Not your type? Are you crazy? What's not your type?"

Atem rolled his eyes for the second time that morning. If this was any indication, then today was going to be the worst day ever.

Yugi Moto had all the bad luck in the world today. First he'd forgotten to set his alarm, so now he was running behind schedule, and that meant that he was not going to get to school early- AKA before the football team- so avoiding confrontation was going to be difficult.

Currently, he was hiding behind a bush outside of school while he waited for Rex Raptor and Weevil Underwood to go inside the building. Those two may have been ugly, scrawny losers (how they'd gotten on the football team was beyond Yugi), but Rex had a mean left hook, they were taller than Yugi was, and they didn't fight fair. Sure, Joey and Tristan always backed him up, but they couldn't guard Yugi 24/7. Plus, he hated seeing his friends get crap because they protected him.

Just as he thought his of friends, Yugi spotted Joey and Tristan walking inconspicuously toward him. At the last second they ducked down and hid with Yugi behind the shrubbery.

"Hey man, good ta see ya!" Joey whisper yelled, mock punching Yugi's arm. Yugi gave his friends a tight smile. "Sorry about this guys, I just…"

"It's okay, buddy," Tristan whispered. "We'll distract them for you. Go around to the back entrance, yeah? We'll see you at lunch."

Yugi nodded and his friends popped up. "I told you I didn't loose it back there!" Joey yelled, pretending to punch Tristan- or maybe not.

"Alright, man, chill!"

"Like hell!" Their voices were growing fainter, but Yugi was able to hear Joey yell- "Hey Weevil! What wild animal crawled onto your head and died?" Before he ran to the back entrance.

Yugi managed to duck and slink his way to the office to pick up his new schedule without incident and from there he didn't care who saw him. It was only the football team who really gave Yugi any trouble, the other students just didn't try to stop them.

As Yugi trudged into his homeroom, he heard a familiar voice coming from the front of the room.

"…don't know why they come after us anyway! I thought cheerleaders went for the football players."

"Dude, have you seen the football players? They're not cheerleader material; we are!"

He'd recognize the voice of the first speaker anywhere. It was Atem.

Seto Kaiba didn't even wait for the freshmen to move this time; instead he just barreled through them like they didn't even exist. Which, to him, they didn't.

He was only half listening to his twin sister, Tea, as she yammered about the auditions for the Winter Musical. He- and every other anybody in Domino High- already knew that they would get the lead role. After all, their mother had been a dancer/singer and their father was one of the greatest business men of all time. Pool that together in one genetic combo and you got the most ruthless actors in the whole school. They always got what they wanted.

Except the reunion of their parents. When Seto's mom had split, taking Tea and leaving him and their brother Mokuba behind, Seto and Tea had tried everything to make them get back together. But in the end, nothing had worked.

Seto was pulled out of his memory when his twin smacked him on the arm "Hello! Anybody home?!? I said, 'What time are the auditions?'!"

He took a deep breath and counted to five before he answered. "I told you that yesterday. It's at 3:15 in the auditorium."

Tea gave him a scathing look. "Well excuse me if I can't remember everything!"

Before Seto could retort, a member of the drama club came running up to the pair.

"Hi! Um, Tea, Seto….I-I just wanted to wish you guys good luck with your auditions." He'd barley even glanced in Seto's direction- this kid only had eyes for Tea.

Seto couldn't remember the boy's name- it was something like Aiden or Cayden. But he was defiantly part of the drama club.

Tea gave the boy a radiant smile. "Thank you so much for that!" The kid- Jaden- Seto recalled- looked like he was ready to burst with glee. Seto hid his grin. That kid had no idea what was coming to him.

"But we don't need it," Tea continued in a tone people normally reserved for explaining the obvious to a child. "You see, we know that we're going to get the part because we're the best. Luck has nothing to do with it."

Seto turned away from Jaden's heart broken face. "Come on, sis. Let's get out of here."

Once they turned the corner, Tea burst into a fit of manic giggles. "Ah, the paparazzi. Another day, another fan helplessly drawn to us." she crowed. Seto nodded in agreement and smirked. It was good to be famous.

I know what you're thinking. How are Yugi and Atem in the same class? Why do Tea and Seto have different last names? Or maybe you figured that out… anyway, all will be explained! Next chapter!!!!!!!!

Reviews make me happy. Er. Happier.

~ Angel


	3. The Break's Over

My computer is messed up. So… I don't know when the next update will be.

Also, when I talk about Marik, I mean the real Marik Ishtar. Not the crazy psychotic evil one. I hate him. He does not exist in this universe.

I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!, Audition Sign-Up Boards, or anything Fall Out Boy. I promise.

* * *

Chapter Three- The Break's Over

_Baby, seasons change but people don't. _

_And I'm always there waiting in the back room. _

_I'm boring but over compensate with_

_ Headlines and flash flash flash photography._

_But don't pretend you ever forget about me. _

_Don't pretend you ever forget about me. - _

_The Take Over, The Break's Over; Fall Out Boy_

Yugi sat in his seat and tried to hide the mini panic attack he was having. What was Atem doing in his homeroom? And more importantly, what was he supposed to say to him?

Luckily, Yugi's panic attack was interrupted by the arrival of Ms. Valentine- his homeroom advisor- who breezed in with Tea Gardner and Seto Kaiba. Yugi groaned and hid behind his hands. Tea was under the impression that every boy in school was madly in love with her- even the one who didn't like girls.

"Good morning class!" Ms. Valentine called. "Everyone, this is an institute of higher learning, not a café! Please sit."

Once everyone had taken a seat, Ms. Valentine proceeded with the morning announcements.

"I would like to remind you all that tryouts for the Winter Musical are tomorrow in the auditorium. All are welcome, even if only a select few will make the cut." Here she cast a glowing look at Tea and Seto.

The class rolled their eyes collectively. Ms. Valentine was the director of the school play and the head of the drama club, and therefore Seto and Tea were her favorite students.

Me Valentine continued to talk, and the whole class zoned out. Because it was Yugi's "lucky day", the girl in front of him had just decided that she didn't have enough perfume on and was practically taking a bath in the stuff. If she kept it up, he was going to-

"AAAHHH-CHOOO!!!!!"

_Oh, brilliant. _

Not everyone turned around when they said "Bless you," but a few people did. And one of them was Atem.

Yugi watched Atem's eyes widen and his jaw drop. Yugi hoped that it was a "Wow, what are you doing here?" and not a "What the bloody freaking hell is that weirdo doing in my class?" sort of jaw drop.

* * *

Atem sat in his seat and tapped his foot impatiently. The bell was supposed to have run three seconds ago, but apparently the school's time system was off again.

_Come on, come on, COME ON….. _

**BRIIIIIING **

_Finally! _

Atem leapt out of his seat and walk out of the room. He waved Marik on, promising to meet him at lunch. Then he waited until…

"Hey Yugi!"

Yugi looked up in surprise.

"Atem! What- what are you doing?"

Atem smirked. "Talking to you of course! But wouldn't the better question be what are you doing in a senior homeroom?"

Yugi looked sheepish. "Well, you know, when you're stuck in an archeological dig and not allowed anywhere near the ruins, there isn't really much to do except study. I got so far a head with my school work that the administration decided to just bump me up to the senior class."

Atem stared at Yugi in shock. "Well, aren't you just amazing, then?"

Yugi shrugged and looked around them. "Uh, not to be a wet blanket but… why are you talking to me?"

Atem's mind went blank. Why was he talking to Yugi? He'd never spoken to the kid at school before. What had changed?

"Why do you want me to stop?" He asked, trying to buy himself some time.

"No! I just mean, won't your friends…" He trailed off, leaving the rest to Atem's imagination.

"What? Nah, my friends are cool."

Actually, Marik was probably going to kill him for associating with someone who was as low on the pyramid as Yugi.

"Besides," he continued, "Us Egyptian fanatics have to stick together, right? Especially now that we're in the same year."

Yugi still looked confused, but Atem changed the subject before he could say anything else. "So, what do you have now?"

"Oh, I'm unscheduled now."

Atem grinned. "What a surprise, so am I!"

* * *

Yugi was pretty sure that he was dreaming. Why else would he be walking down the hall with the most popular guy in school and talking to him like they were best friends?

"So when I told Marik about the whole singing thing, he pretty much thought I was making it up. I don't blame him, nobody's ever heard me sing before."

Yugi nodded. "Yeah, I've never sang publicly before either. But I've started to think that it might be a fun thing to do again. By myself, I mean," he added quickly.

Atem adopted a hurt look. "Oh, was I that bad?"

"No! I just meant- I mean-"

Atem cut Yugi off with a laugh. "Relax! I'm just teasing you. Jeez, lighten up, I'm not gonna bite your head off."

Yugi fought the flush creeping up his neck. "Sorry, I guess this just a little weird for me. You know, being back after all those months."

Atem nodded. "I can understand that."

They were approaching the school Announcement board now. The sign up sheet for the Winter Musical auditions seemed to be shining a little, as though it was trying to call attention to itself. Yugi and Atem didn't even notice that they had both stopped walking at exactly the same time and were staring at the board with a mixture of apprehension and intense focus on each of their faces.

Finally Atem cleared his throat and glanced over at Yugi. "maybe you should… you know… tryout for it."

Yugi laughed. "Yeah maybe. If I had a death wish!"

"Well if it's the football team you're worried about, I can rough 'em up a bit for you…"

Yugi shook his head. "It's not them I'm worried about, it's Seto Kaiba and Tea Gardner. They'd rip me to shreds!"

Atem rubbed the back of his neck- an unconscious action that usually appeared when he was doing some intense thinking. "Well, they aren't that bad. Plus they usually only care about getting the lead role."

Yugi didn't appear to have heard him, though. "What's up with their last names? I thought they were twins."

Atem looked around to see who was listening, but they were alone in the hallway. "After their parents divorce, Tea took on her mom's maiden name and Seto and their brother Mokuba kept their dad's name."

Yugi nodded. "Oh, okay. How do you know that?"

With the change in subject, the two boys began to walk back down the hallway; blissfully unaware of the fact that their whole conversation had been overheard.

* * *

Even at ten years old, Mokuba Kaiba knew that he had the potential to be a great actor. He'd been acting ever since he was a toddler- it was how he managed to get whatever he wanted. Of course, potential was only good if you had someone to help you reach it. That was where Mokuba was grateful to have such talented siblings. They'd promised him that they would teach him everything they knew about acting. But in return, he had to help them get what they wanted. That was why he'd spent the morning watching the Audition Sign-up Sheet for any potential enemies- AKA people who wanted to steal his sibling's spotlight. (**A/N- Try saying THAT five times fast.) **

When he saw Atem Yami and Yugi Moto hanging out by the sheet, he knew he had to tell Tea and Seto. Something about the way they'd been looking at the board had made Mokuba very concerned.

But first, he had to get to his English class. Twice a week, he came up to the high school for his advanced classes- Math and English- and today they were going over Shakespeare's Sonnets.

Oh, heaven forbid we miss that.

* * *

At first, tea was sure that Mokuba was making things up when he'd said that Atem and Yugi wanted to go out for the play.

"Please," she'd scoffed. "Those two? They've never spoken two words to each other."

Then Mokuba showed her the pictures on his cell phone, and she had to admit, there was something suspicious about not only the way they were looking at the board, but also the way they were standing. Not too close, but not too far apart. Clearly they had been walking together, but why were they so tense?

Seto pulled Tea out of her thoughts. "What do you think, sis? Are they a threat?"

Tea thought for a moment and then waved her hand. "No way. Atem's a jock, and Yugi is a nobody. They are no threat to us." She turned to Mokuba. "Listen, if they come back, just do what you do best and make them feel intimidated by us."

Mokuba nodded. "Gotcha. Don't worry, I'll take care of them."

* * *

Yugi stood in front of the Sign Up sheet trying to decide if it was worth it to put his name under "Supporting Cast." Truth be told, he really would have like to go out for the lead… but he didn't have anyone to sing with.

_Except for Atem. _

And he quickly shook that thought out of his head. They'd only sang together once, and that was by accident. That was probably all Atem thought it was, and that was all it was to Yugi too. Never mind that Atem had a beautiful voice, and Yugi would have done anything to sing with him again.

"I wouldn't sign up if I were you."

Yugi almost jumped out of his skin. He looked around wildly for the speaker and saw a little kid standing behind him (okay, so Yugi didn't have any right whatsoever to call anyone short, but he did it anyway). The kid had wild black hair (once again, no right to talk) and looked like he belonged in elementary school (okay, this guy is a hypocrite).

"Who are you?" Yugi asked.

The kid narrowed his eyes. "I'm Mokuba Kaiba, Seto and Tea are my older siblings. Anyway, I saw you looking at the sheet and just figured I'd warn you- Seto and Tea have been acting since they were little. You really have no chance at beating them out of anything. Trust me, a lot of people have tried, it just isn't happening." Mokuba gave Yugi a smile. "Sorry if that seems out of the blue, but I'm just trying to spare you the pain of rejection."

Yugi stared at the k- at Mokuba. This day just kept getting more and more bizarre. "Don't worry," Yugi said as he backed away. "I have absolutely no interest in this play. Nope. Not me."

_I so want to audition for that play! _

* * *

Atem just couldn't shake the thought of the school play from his mind- he was supposed to be concentrating on basketball- after all this was one of their last practices before the championship. But still, Yugi really deserved to get a part in it. He'd gone to a few plays, and he knew Yugi was a way better singer that either of those two. But if he wanted to get the lead role, he'd need a partner, and there was nobody he could try out with.

_Except me._

Atem shook his head. Where the hell had that come from?!?

He knelt down and retied his shoelace. He really needed to stop thinking like that!

Even so…

He glanced over at Marik. If anyone knew him, it was his best friend.

"Hey, Marik?"

He looked over at Atem. "Yeah, what?"

Atem cleared his throat. "Uh, just wondering. What would you say if I went out for the school musical?"

Marik stared at him blankly, then burst into hysterical laughter.

Atem rolled his eyes. "Okay…" Marik continued to laugh. "Marik-" More laughter. "oh shut up you asshole! I get the point and it wasn't that funny."

Marik finally stopped laughing and gasped for air. "Seriously man, you should think about stand up comedy."

Atem felt someone come up behind him before a hand landed on his shoulder- he recognized as belonging to his coach- Odian, Marik's older brother.

"Atem doesn't need to think about anything besides basketball, Marik. Don't go putting ideas in his head."

Marik sprang to a salute. "Aye aye, Coach!"

Odian turned Atem around and handed him a basketball. "Okay captain, I gotta go straighten something out in the office. You're in charge, got it?"

Atem nodded- this was nothing new. "Got it."

He threw Marik the basketball and told his team to pair up and practice passing.

As he walked off to a less crowded part of the gym, Marik tossed the ball up in the air. "Oh hey!" He said suddenly. "Guess what? I figured out what I'm gonna do for the history project." Atem caught the ball and threw it over to Marik. "Oh yeah, what?"

"Get this- Basketball in Ancient history! Basically I'm gonna dress up like an Egyptian and talk about how we played the first game of basketball, but our Pharaoh didn't like it and banned all mention of it."

Atem laughed. "Well you'll defiantly get points for originality- but think about Ancient Egyptian basketball later, yeah? We've got a game to play!"

* * *

Later that night, Yugi sat up in his bed and thought about the play. He wanted to Audition, but he didn't want to make a fool of himself. Decisions, decisions.

_Okay, _he decided. _I'll go watch. Then if I think I stand a chance, I'll audition._

* * *

_I hated this chapter. It was a pain in the neck and I hate it hate it hate it. _

_Please review and tell me that I didn't just waste the last four hours doing something totally useless._

_~ Angel_


	4. Teenage Superstar

*throws self at readers feet* I'M SO SORRY! I KNOW I SHOULD'VE UPDATED SOONER, BUT MY COMPUTER GOT A VIRUS AND I HAD TO START CHAPTER FOUR ALL OVER AGAIN!!!

Notes- I'm not sure how many of you caught this in chapter one, but Atem is blonde. Just blonde. This will be fixed later, but for now he is blonde. Also, Ryou is Ryou. Not Yami Bakura, not Thief King Bakura (Jeez, how do the directors handle all these people?!? I can barley control the ones I've got!).

Atem- Enough with the chatter! When do I get to make out with Yugi?

Yugi- Yeah! I'm feeling very unloved here!

Angel- Boys, as of right now, Atem is straight. The making out doesn't happen until chapter seven. At least. Depending on what I write and when.

Atem and Yugi- Why do you hate us so much?!?!

Angel- Oh shut your mouths. What do you think this is, some kind of cheesy Disney movie where everyone falls all over each other at first sight?!?

Atem- Yes.

Yugi- I already did that!

Angel- Both of you, be quite! I need to get through the disclaimer.

_I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!, or any of the songs used in this chapter. Also, I am not LittleKuriboh, I just borrow his jokes every now and then._

* * *

**Chapter Four- Teenage Superstar**

_Take a stand and armor up now_

_she's second hand_

_you'd better kick her ass down_

_she's black night - you're daylight_

_and now she's weak and around_

_be aware - she's coming your way_

_don't be scared - don't let her stay _

_She's a teenage superstar_

_always got the V.I.-punky cards_

_she thinks she can turn back time_

_make you lose your mind - yeah_

_she's a teenage gone too far_

_poor little superstar_

* * *

Atem was a little worried when Yugi didn't show up for homeroom the next day. He couldn't help but wonder if Tea or Seto had found out what he'd said to Yugi about trying out for the play and maybe they'd gotten rid of him. Throughout homeroom he kept coming up with worse and worse scenarios, until by the time the bell rang he was sure that Yugi was wandering around the North Pole after having been dropped their and abandoned by a team of highly trained ninja's.

It seemed like the kind of thing those two would do.

However, as he walked down the hall to English, he swore he saw a backpack that looked exactly like the one Yugi had lying on the floor next to a row of lockers. Of course, Atem had no clue as to why he knew what kind of pack Yugi carried, but he couldn't see an owner nearby so went over to see if he could find a name somewhere inside.

Then he heard a loud banging sound coming from inside the locker.

Atem automatically jumped back and backed away quickly. The first thing he thought of was the ghost that supposedly haunted the school. Then the adrenaline rush caused his brain to wake up and start functioning, and he put the pieces together.

Atem marched over to the locker and pulled it open. Just as he'd suspected would happen, Yugi fell out of the locker.

Atem caught Yugi easily- the smaller teen weighed next to nothing- and pushed him onto his feet. It was pretty easy to guess what had happened.

"Football team?" Atem asked.

Yugi nodded. He tried to keep his breathing even and hide his panic. He wasn't doing a very good job.

Sensing Yugi's distress, Atem placed his hand comfortingly on his shoulder.

"Are you alright?" He asked gently.

Yugi managed to nod. "It's just-" he tried to think of something to say. "It's… cramped in there."

Atem was suddenly furious. "Which way did they go?" He snarled, looking left and right as if he expected the perpetrators to still be lurking around somewhere. But the only people in the hallways were a few stragglers who still hadn't made it to first period. A few people were staring; Atem glared at them until they looked away.

Yugi stood straight and pulled on Atem's sleeve to get his attention. Once he had it, Yugi gave him a shaky smile. "Don't worry about it, I'm fine."

Atem's face showed his disbelief. "You're kidding, right? What am I supposed to do, let it go?"

Yugi nodded. "That's what I always do."

'_Maybe that's why they keep coming back_.' Atem thought.

Yugi could tell Atem wasn't going to let this go, so he decided that it was time for a distraction. "Oh, crap! I'm gonna be late for English!" He started to run, but Atem grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "Oh no you don't! I'm not through with you yet- we both have English and Mrs. Heran won't care if we don't show up for a few more minutes."

Yugi was puzzled. "What do you mean? Her room's right over there."

"Yeah I know, but I'm taking you to the nurse's office."

* * *

After dragging Yugi to the nurse (who gave him some ice for a bruise on his arm and checked to make sure he didn't have any broken bones or severe mental scarring), Atem refused to let Yugi out of his sight for the rest of the morning. Even during their lunch period, Atem made Yugi sit with him. He kept shooting the football team death glares as he and Yugi bought their lunch.

Atem's friends gave the pair a funny look as they walked past their usual table and sat at a smaller one. Atem gave them a look that clearly said "Leave it alone."

Once they sat down, Atem asked, "So Yugi, what are you going to do about the play?"

Yugi thought about the best way to phrase his response. "Well, I'm really not sure. I thought I'd go watch the auditions, and then see if I had a chance."

Atem nodded. "That's logical."

"Yeah, but I'm kinda nervous. I don't know anyone in the drama club, and I don't want to ask my friends to go with me. Just in case I blow it, or just don't audition at all."

"Well, maybe I'll go with you," Atem said thoughtfully.

Yugi almost choked. "Really?"

Atem was just as surprised as Yugi, but the words kept coming out. "Sure. I mean, it can't hurt, right?"

"Wow, thanks Atem!"

"Yeah, no problem." Atem muttered.

On the other side of the cafeteria, a janitor -who was wearing headphones that were blasting dance music- smiled mysteriously and crept out of the room.

* * *

They walked into the auditorium together at 3:11. Immediately, Atem ducked behind a row of seats.

Yugi shot him a puzzled look, then saw Tea and Seto glaring at him from the stage.

In the interest of keeping his face in one piece, Yugi joined Atem behind the seats.

They stayed like that for several minutes before Yugi said, "Maybe I'll just check out the competition from back here. Just so this doesn't become a bigger deal than it needs to be."

Atem nodded in agreement. Not long after, Ms Valentine walked onto the stage and announced the start of the auditions.

* * *

Ryou Bakura had started in show business when he was only ten; It had been in a school play- he was in charge of lighting. He'd loved it so much that he'd gone back after the production was over to try sound direction. The theater had been his passion ever since, and he'd been trying to actually write a play for some time, but when it was finally finished, the head of the drama department had said that they were no longer accepting scripts written by students. But now he'd moved to a new place- Domino City- and to his delight, Ms. Mai Valentine had not only demanded to read his play once she'd found out about it, but she loved it so much that now it was the school's winter musical.

During the auditions, Ryou had volunteered to play the piano for the auditioners. They had to sing "Livin' On a Prayer" by Bon Jovi- selected because the play took place in the 1980's and all the music was to come from that era. So far though, nobody had really stood out for the singles auditions.

Ryou was really looking forward to the pairs auditions, because it was the first time that he was going to get to witness a performance by the legendary twins Seto Kaiba and Tea Gardner. The whole drama club gushed about their talent all the time, and while he'd heard that they could be cruel, he was sure that it was just a nasty rumor that some jealous people had started.

As they approached center stage, Ryou hurried over to the duo.

"What key are you using?" He asked Seto.

The other boy didn't even glance at Ryou. "We actually have our own music."

Ryou held back his disappointment. "Oh. Okay then." He turned and went back to sit on the piano bench.

Tea stood with her back to the audience- AKA Ms. Valentine. She hummed a bit and shook out her hair. "Okay! Ready Seto?" Seto nodded. "Five, six, seven, eight!"

The music came on and Tea started to sing.

"_Tommy used to work on the docks_

_Union's been on strike_

_He's down on his luck...it's tough, so tough."_

Then Seto came in.

"_Gina works the diner all day_

_Working for her man, she brings home her pay_

_For love - for love."_

The together they crooned-

"_She says we've got to hold on to what we've got_

_'cause it doesn't make a difference_

_If we make it or not_

_We've got each other and that's a lot_

_For love - we'll give it a shot!"_

And through all that and the rest of the song, Ryou sat in horror. They had killed the song! The music they were using was some kind of remixed, synthpop club beat as opposed to the original instruments, which was what they should have been using. He looked over at Ms. Valentine, hoping that she would be just as horrified, but to his surprise she actually seemed to be enjoying the monstrosity!

Once the twins had finished and accepted the applause, Ryou took it upon himself to let them know that this version of the song would just not work. He approached Tea this time, since Seto had seemed a little crabby.

"Um, hi, Tea, I'm-"

She cut him off. "Oh, you're Ryou, right? You wrote the play?"

He nodded, feeling a little more confident now. "Yeah, and I actually wanted to talk to you about your song. You see, I actually pictured it as sticking to the original so-"

Tea interrupted him again. "Um, I'm sorry but, how many times have one of your plays been performed?"

Ryou's confidence vanished. "This- um- would be the first time."

Tea smiled condescendingly and continued, taking a step closer to him as she did so. "So what you're saying is you have next to no experience with this sort of thing, whereas my brother and I have been acting since we could walk; so you don't get to tell us what to do, or how to do it. We run the show around here, got it?!?"

As she'd ranted, Tea continued to walk closer to Ryou and he'd walked backward to avoid her. Because of that, he'd now been forced against a wall with a very angry looking Tea standing in front of him with her finger jabbed into his chest. So, he did what anyone else would do in his situation. He agreed with her.

"I got it."

* * *

Yugi watched from behind the seat as all the students left the auditorium. Ms Valentine stood up and looked around. "Anymore auditions? No? Good."

Atem looked over at him. "It's now or never," the older boy whispered. Yugi nodded and stood up.

"I'd like to audition, Ms. Valentine!"

But she shook her head. "I'm sorry, you're too late. I already called for singles auditions, and doubles. Besides, there are no other pairs."

Atem's jaw dropped in shock. He could not believe what he was hearing, Yugi deserved an audition. He stood up, fully intending to give Ms Valentine a piece of his mind, but instead what came out of his mouth was, "I'll sing with him."

Yugi and Ms Valentine both looked as surprised as Atem felt, but Ms Valentine quickly recovered and told them, "Yes, well, as I said I already called for auditions and you didn't respond. Perhaps you could try for the spring musical."

And with that she turned and walked away.

Atem looked over at Yugi and saw the devastated look on his face. Just as Atem reached out to comfort him, they heard a crash come from the stage. The two of them turned to see the boy who'd been at the piano during the auditions on the floor with music sheets scattered all around him. Without hesitation, Atem jumped onto the stage and began to help him pick them up.

Yugi followed quickly, and helped the boy up.

"Thanks," he said as he brushed off his shirt.

Atem handed over the papers. As the boy took them Atem asked, "So you wrote the play?"

He blushed and nodded. Yugi recognized him as Ryou Bakura; his picture had been on the audition sign up sheet.

Atem continued, "So if you wrote the play, how come you let Tea and Seto boss you around like that?"

Ryou shrugged. "They scare me."

"Yeah, they scare me too," Atem admitted. "But doesn't being the writer make you like the playmaker in basketball?"

"The what?" Ryou and Yugi asked at the same time.

"It's like the most important position on the team. Without the playmaker, nothing happens."

Ryou laughed. "I wish. I'm nothing like that."

"You could be," Atem told him.

Ryou was quiet for a bit. Then he looked up. "Do you really want to audition?"

* * *

Three minutes later, Atem and Yugi were singing,

"_We've got to hold on ready or not_

_You live for the fight when it's all that you've got_

_Whoa, we're half way there_

_Whoa!!!!!!! Livin' on a prayer!!!!_

_Take my hand and we'll make it - I swear_

_Livin' on a prayer!"_

They finished the song and high-fived. "Yeah! That was awesome!" Ryou shouted.

"I couldn't agree more," came a female voice.

The three boys whirled around the find Ms Valentine looking at them expectantly.

"Congratulations, boys. You have a callback. Ryou, work with them on their technique and help them pick out a song. Oh, and don't let Tea and Seto know. They wouldn't get that it's just to give them a fighting chance."

As Ryou excitedly explained his schedule to Yugi, Atem was left alone to realize that he had quite possibly started a revolution in school hierarchy.

* * *

As Ryou left the auditorium later that afternoon, he almost ran into someone as he exited the theater. The man was very tall, with tan skin and a turban wrapped around his head. He was carrying a broom and dressed in a janitors outfit. He was wearing a pair of head phones, and Ryou could hear loud dance music coming from them. Ryou apologized for the run in.

"It's alright, young man." The man turned around and began to walk down the hall, but turned back after a few steps and called, "Good luck with the play!"

Once he'd exited the school, Ryou realized that even though he'd only been here for a short time, he'd never seen that man in the school before.

* * *

_Please review? It makes me write more!_


	5. The Death of the Status Quo

**Yes, yes I'm a horrible person for making you wait sooo very long for this chapter and I do apologize many, many times. But you don't want excuses, you want Yu-Gi-Oh! So without further ado, I present…. THE DEATH OF THE STATUS QUO!**

**I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!, "Stick to the Status Quo", "Body Bag", "Othello", Spark Notes (which has saved my grades on several occasions), or Justin Bieber.**

* * *

**Chapter Five: The Death of the Status Quo**

_You're gonna need a body bag, _

_I'll break bones you didn't know you had. _

_When I'm done there will be nothing left of you _

_for your friends to hold on to when they find you cold and blue tonight, _

_face down in a parking lot. _

**_-Body Bag, by Hit the Lights_**

_No, no, no, no! No, no, no _

_Stick to the stuff you know_

_If you wanna be cool_

_Follow one simple rule_

_Don't mess with the flow, no, no_

_Stick to the status quo!_

_No, no, no_

_Stick to the stuff you know_

_It is better by far To keep things as they are_

_Don't mess with the flow, no, no_

_Stick to the status, __stick to the status _

_Stick to the status quo!_

_ **-Stick to the Status Quo, High School Musical**_

* * *

The whole world seemed to be at peace. Domino City was experiencing beautiful weather; 78 degrees with a warm breeze and cloudless skies. It was Friday, and Domino High was buzzing with anticipation of the weekend and gratitude for the lovely weather. It truly seemed like a day where nothing could go wrong.

Unfortunately everyone knows that once you say nothing can go wrong, something goes wrong. Because it's freaking Murphy's Law that somehow, your day will get screwed up.

On that day, you didn't have to be standing near the announcement board to hear the freak-out which would go down as THE biggest bitch-fit in Domino High in history. You didn't even have to be in the school's front hall to hear it; or even on school property. Hell, you didn't even have to be in Domino City to know exactly what went down.

Tea Anzu Garner took one look at the announcement board on that glorious Friday morning and instantly ruined it for all the people within a ten yard radius who hadn't had the good sense to cover their ears in time.

"WHAT? CALLBACKS? HOW THE HELL DID THAT HAPPEN?"

The scream was bloodcurdling, shrill, and heard by everyone in the school. And those poor people near her who hadn't covered their ears were eventually sent home because of temporary hearing loss.

And just what had been the cause of this epic freak-out? Why the words "Atem Yami and Yugi Moto" under the list of people with call backs for the lead role in the musical, of course!

"Is this some kind of JOKE?" Tea screeched. "They didn't audition," she whirled around so fast that she clipped a freshman on the shoulder with her school bag (the poor girl had a large bruise on her arm for weeks) and glared at her brother. "Did they? Did they audition?"

Seto looked, for all purposes, the clam and controlled teenager he usually was. However, he had a dangerous glint in his eyes that always meant someone was about to get their ass kicked.

"No Tea, they did not audition for this role, or any role."

"I knew! Because Goddamnit, if I had known I would have filmed it!"

Those who could still hear were a bit taken aback by this statement, indeed even Seto looked a little confused.

"I mean really," Tea continued, "ATEM YAMI was SINGING? That is hot taken to a new level! Ohemgee, do you think they have security cameras in the auditorium?" Tea didn't wait for a response, instead she headed straight for the main office, leaving a bunch of terrified students in her wake.

* * *

After Tea's extremely loud outburst, it wasn't long before the whole school knew that Hot-Shot, Basketball Star, King Of The Jocks, Most Wanted Boy In School Atem was singing with Yugi-out-of-the-closet-nobody-Moto. And not long after that they realized that this implied that Yugi and Atem were familiar with each other at least, and more likely they were friends.

And this lead to a lot of people scratching their heads and asking themselves, "When the fuck did THAT happen?"

One of those people was Atem's best friend, Marik Ishtar. In Marik's defense, it's not everyday you walk into school and find out that your best friend has gone and auditioned for a musical without telling you about it. Still, maybe he was just a little too pissed off.

"A text message! Really, how hard is it to send one of those? Hell, maybe you could have even called me! Is it too much to ask for a little warning before you go and throw your whole reputation in the garbage?"

Atem put down the book he'd been pretending to read (it was _Othello_, he had a test on pages 100-150 in an hour and he was only on page16) and glanced around to see if anyone had over heard their conversation. Luckily, hardly anyone ever came to the classics section of the library and they were alone.

"Marik," Atem began, "You are acting like a girl. I already have Seto out for my blood, Tea looking to make me her next fantasy, and the whole school asking for an explanation; I don't need to listen to you bitching on top of that!"

And maybe that had been a little too harsh, but it wasn't everyday you walked into school and had thirty girls pulling on your shirt and demanding to know if anyone had taped your audition for a play that you had no interest in up until two days ago.

"I am not acting like a girl!" Marik snapped. "Exactly when were you going to tell me about this? We have a huge basketball game coming up in two weeks, or did you forget about that when you decided to go Broadway on me!"

Atem threw his book down and glared at Marik. "I didn't plan any of this!" he shouted. The librarian popped out from behind a shelf and shushed him. Atem waited for her to disappear again before continuing in a hiss, "Look, I didn't even want to try out! Not really anyway. It just happened, alright?"

Marik shook his head. "No, sex just happens, changing your profession doesn't!"

Atem stared at his friend in utter disbelief. "That doesn't even make any sense!"

Then the bell rang and Atem realized he still needed to read. "You know what, screw this!" he cried. "I'm going to eat, and then I'm going to go look this up on SparkNotes." He glared at Marik. "Is that okay with you, your highness?" Atem walked out without waiting for an answer.

* * *

Yugi sulked behind Tristan and Joey as they walked to the lunch line. He was so sick of everyone staring at him! It was just an audition, it wasn't like they were getting married.

He blushed as a vision of Atem announcing their engagement to the cafeteria before kissing him senseless popped into his mind. He was just getting to the part where Rebecca ran away crying when he tripped and went flying into someone.

"Ah! Oh, sorry about that-" he looked up only realize he'd landed right in Atem's arms. The daydream vision came back and Yugi felt his face heat up even more.

"Yugi, what happened?" Atem asked. He looked behind Yugi and, of course, saw the football team sniggering and giving each other high fives. Atem's fists clenched and he pushed Yugi onto his feet before taking a step in the direction of the thugs- he still had to pay them back for the locker incident, and this recent indignity meant he owed them double.

Atem stopped when he felt a hand on his arm. "It's fine," Yugi whispered, his eyes darting around the cafeteria.

"No it bloody well isn't!" Atem snarled. "These punks need to be taught a lesson!"

"Atem!" Yugi whispered desperately, "People are staring!"

Atem looked up and saw that, indeed, he had the whole cafeteria's attention. Atem was used to having everyone's eyes on him- he was the star of the basketball team, it came with the territory- but Yugi looked ready to faint.

Seizing the opportunity, Atem walked over to the football team, ignoring Yugi's plea to let it go. He tapped the captain, Ushio, on the shoulder and the lurching freak show turned around.

"You got a problem here, Justin Bieber?"

Atem forced a laugh. "Me? No, but you do."

"Oh yeah?" The boy challenged as the rest of the team cracked their knuckles. Behind him, Atem heard Yugi gasp in fright.

Undeterred, Atem went on. "Yeah, see, I've got a problem with your face."

"Is that so? And what's wrong with my face?"

"It's covered in macaroni," Atem said simply.

The bully blinked confusedly. "No it-" and then Atem picked up the lunch tray that was behind Ushio and slammed it into his face.

There was a collective gasp from the cafeteria and then dead silence. Ushio wiped the noodles from his face and reached for Atem.

"You bas-" he snarled, but Atem cut him off.

"FOOD FIGHT!" He screamed before hurling an apple core at Rex Raptor. As a battle cry rose from the students, Atem grabbed a very pale Yugi by the wrist and pulled him to the door. "Come on, move it!" he yelled as they dodged a plate of spaghetti.

* * *

From the balcony overlooking the cafeteria (an area strictly reserved for the drama club and the cheerleaders) Tea and Seto watched the food fight. Actually, Seto watched the food fight; Tea watched Atem and Yugi sneak out the back door. She leaned over the ledge a little and squinted at them… were they holding hands?

A cry of "Watch it!" snapped her to attention and Seto grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back just as a carton of milk soared up into the air right where Tea's face had been moments earlier.

Brushing the incident aside, Tea turned to her brother. "Did you see that?" she cried. "They were totally holding hands!"

Seto rolled his eyes. "I have no time for your fan-girls delusions, Tea. Where did Mokuba go?" He looked around and spotted his little brother sitting with the cheerleaders. "Mokuba, get over here!" He called. Rebecca, who had been sitting next to Mokuba, grabbed the boy and cried, "No way! He promised us that he would protect us from the flying food!" Seto and Tea groaned and simultaneously tossed the cheerleaders some empty food trays. "Hide behind these," Tea snapped, "We need our brother!"

Mokuba did walk over, but he did so reluctantly. "Thanks a lot guys. Rebecca was just about let me see her new piercing."

Tea looked at her brother in shock and revulsion. "If I ever hear those words coming out of your mouth again I'll cut your tongue out."

Seto put his hand on his brother's shoulder. "We need you to trail Yugi and Atem. Do whatever it takes, just follow them and take notes on what they do- singing, dancing, anything!"

Tea gasped and reached into her bag. A few seconds later she pulled out her camera. "And take pictures of anything interesting! Like if they start making out or something!"

Mokuba rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure whatever. But do I have to start now? I have no idea where they went!"

* * *

Though Mokuba had no way of knowing it, Yugi and Atem were standing by the emergency exit that lead out to the school parking lot.

Atem looked over at Yugi, who was doubled over and trying to catch his breath- they'd just sprinted from the cafeteria and they were both a little winded. Still, Atem had to ask…

"How opposed are you to skipping school?"

Yugi looked up. "What… you mean… in general or…right now?" He asked between gasps.

"Right now." Atem responded firmly. "I don't much feel like going back to class and facing all those eyes staring at me, do you?" Actually, Atem really wouldn't have minded, but he knew Yugi wouldn't have been able to take it.

Yugi bit his lip. "I've never cut class before."

Atem grinned slung his arm around Yugi's shoulders. "Well then, now we really have to go!"

Yugi tried to ignore the tingling feeling on the back of his neck where Atem's arm was touching his skin. "I don't know…"

"Aw, come on! Cutting class is fun, you'll see! You know what, I'm not taking no for an answer."

And with that he steered Yugi out the doors and over to his car. Yugi hesitated a moment, weighing his options. He could either go back to class and face his peers, or he could hang out with Atem, who was leaning on arm on the open drivers-side door with the sun hitting his face in just such a way that his eyes were sparkling and aw who was he kidding? Their was no competition!

"So where are we going?" He asked as he climbed into the passenger side of the car.

* * *

TADA!

NEXT UP! The boys hang out at Yugi's house and try to practice singing, but they keep getting distracted by how hot each other is.

XD

And now my lovely readers I have a special treat! A sneak peak at my next Disney Parody! Drum roll please…..

.

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Actually it doesn't have a title yet.

Anyway, it's a parody of ALADDIN!

*throws a party*

Yes that's right! It's my favorite movie ever and I not only turned it Yu-Gi-Oh!, I also turned it yaoi.

*throws an even bigger party.*

I have no idea when it's going to be published, probably when I finish this. Hopefully before the end of summer. So anyway, here you are!

* * *

Yugi laughed. "Oh, way to go Tristan! That guy's probably cursing karma right about now."

He reached over and plucked the lamp from Tristan's paws to examine it.

"Jeez, it looks like such a beat up piece of trash." He squinted at it carefully. He could just make out a pattern carved on the side of the lamp, but a smear of dirt partially obscured it. Yugi brushed the dirt away and suddenly the lamp jerked in his hands. This was quickly followed by an explosion of sparks flying from the neck and several loud explosions. Yugi clung to the lamp while Tristan ran for cover behind a large rock.

A cloud of smoke engulfed the whole room as an unearthly screech reverberated from the walls. A tall shadowy figure rose as the smoke cleared to reveal a teenage boy-

Wait.

Teenage boy?

But it was- the boy rose from the smoke and it seemed that the screeching was coming from his mouth, but he broke it off with a sigh. The boy stretched his arms over his head and yawned.

"Nyeh!" he cried. "I tell ya, three thousand years in that damned contraption will give you such a crick in the neck!" The boy then rotated his head 360 degrees around his neck and let it snap back into place. He pushed his blonde hair out of his eyes and seemed to suddenly notice Yugi standing by the cave wall with a look of utter shock on his face.

"Well!" the lamp boy cried. "You are a lot smaller than my last master! It's either that or I'm getting bigger." The boy patted his stomach and then looked back at Yugi. "Nope, you're just small."

* * *

Well, that's all you're getting NOW REVIEW OR IT'LL BE ANOTHER MONTH BEFORE YOU GET AN UPDATE!

Actually no, I wouldn't do that on purpose...^^'


	6. And When You're Close

Angel- *Is listening to Abracadabra by Brown Eyed Girls and Make Up (Na Na Na) by Akon- on repeat*

Yugi- *rolls eyes* Here is is, sorry for the delay!

Atem- How many times is she going to listen to those songs?

Angel- Untill they get annoying.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!, iPods, Google, "See You Again" by Breathe Carolina, "Toy Soldier" by Britney Spears, "Just Dance" by Lady Gaga, "Livin On A Prayer" by Bon Jovi, It's My Life" by Bon Jovi, "The City Is At War" by Cobra Starship, "The Take Over, The Break's Over" by Fall Out Boy, "Déjà vu" by SS 501 (awesome song, go check it out [PS- those boys are HAWT!]), or "Untouchable" by Taylor Swift.

* * *

**Chapter Six- And When You're Close**

_And when you're close I feel like coming undone_

_. . . _

_You gotta come on, come on_

_Say that we'll be together_

_Come on, come on_

_Little taste of heaven._

_-Untouchable, Taylor Swift_

* * *

There was no way in HELL Atem was taking Yugi back to his house- that would mean confrontation with his father, and while he was sure Pegasus wouldn't care that Atem was skipping- he never cared about that- he would want to hear every detail about his adopted son's "new little friend", and Atem was pretty sure that Yugi wouldn't be up to it. They also couldn't go to Yugi's house, because his grandpa was home and wouldn't be too pleased about them skipping school. So, the two boys wound up in the next best place. The mall.

The good thing about skipping school in the afternoon on a Friday is that it's early enough where their aren't many people who are out of school, but late enough where if you're spotted by an adult, they'll just think that you had a half-day or something.

Since neither boy had gotten the chance to eat lunch, the first place they stopped was the food court. They both ordered a double cheeseburger with fries, but Atem got a soda and Yugi got a chocolate shake. After they sat down, Atem found out why.

"What _are_ you doing?"

Yugi stopped with the fry halfway towards his mouth. "What?"

"Why are you eating a French fry covered in chocolate?"

Yugi's jaw dropped. "Have you _never_ tried fries dipped in a shake before?"

Atem shook his head. "Why _have_ you tried it?"

Yugi grinned. "Well, my friend Joey got me started. He said, 'It all ends up in your stomach together anyway, I'm just giving it a head start.' Besides, it's really good."

Atem gave the food a skeptical look. "I'll take your word for it."

Yugi shrugged. "Your loss."

Twenty seconds of silence later, Atem relented. "Okay fine, I'll try it!"

And soon after, Atem was hooked.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the school, nobody was willing to give Atem up as the one who had started the food fight. Musical or no musical, he was still the head of the Basketball team, and if he got pulled from the championships as punishment then the school would lose for sure, and nobody was willing to let that happen. And anyway, there was a much better target to pin the blame on. Everyone got a kick out of watching Ushio scrape mystery meat off the cafeteria walls as punishment for inappropriate conduct. **(A/N- MUAHAHAHAHA! SERVES YOU RIGHT FOR PICKING ON YUGI, YOU BASTARD!) **

* * *

After the boys had grown tired of the mall, they went back to Atem's car and drove around aimlessly for a while. They didn't talk, but the silence didn't feel awkward. In fact, Yugi found that he was just as happy to just sit quietly with Atem as he had been when he was singing with Atem. The only thing that could have made the moment more perfect was if Atem had reached over and grabbed Yugi's hand.

At that thought, Yugi fought down a blush and told himself to stop being such a fan girl.

During their aimless drive, the two somehow wound up in front of the game shop.

It was closed.

This was odd; Yugi didn't remember his Grandpa saying that he was going out. He asked Atem if they could stop so he go check it out. Once inside, he found a note:

_Yugi, _

_I'm so sorry about this, but I got a call from my friend Arthur- you remember, the one who went on the dig with us. He threw out his back and needs someone to help him out until his family can come over. I'll be back late Sunday night- their's pizza in the fridge and $50 on the table if you need anything. No wild parties!_

_-Grandpa._

Yugi smiled to himself '_Yes! Home alone!' _He cheered silently.

He turned to Atem. "Well, my Grandpa's gone for the weekend."

Atem smirked. "So, when does the party start?"

Yugi laughed. "It wouldn't be much of a party- I'd be the only guest. Nobody that I know is going to be home this weekend."

Atem raised an eyebrow. "Really? Nobody?"

"Yep. Joey's going to his Mom's house and Tristan is going to go visit a bunch of colleges."

Atem looked thoughtful. "Well, I've got nothing going on."

Yugi almost looked out the window for flying pigs. _Atem_ was offering to hang out with _him_?

Yugi tried to stammer out something intelligent. "Um, T-that would be, um, I-I would really…"

'_Fail.'_

He tried again. "?"

Atem blinked. He'd only caught about half of that. "Well, I can come back tomorrow, or since we're already hear I can just stay, whatever works for you."

"W-well both of those options work for me."

"Okay then. What should we do now?"

Ah, wasn't that the million dollar question. A thousand options flew into Yugi's mind, each more lame than the last. TV, board games, Internet… then he thought of something else.

"Well Ryou wants us to pick a song for our callback audition, we can do that."

There. It was a neutral topic- something they both enjoyed, and something they had to do at some point anyway.

Atem nodded. "Sounds fun. Where do we start?"

* * *

After a few failed attempts at finding a song (they'd Googled "Duet Karaoke" and had come back with a bunch of crap) they decided to put Yugi's iPod on shuffle and pick a song that way. The first song that came up was "See You Again" by Breathe Carolina.

Atem looked confused. "I thought Miley Cyrus sang this."

"She does- this band just did a cover of it."

Yugi sang along quietly as the song played, but they ultimately decided against it.

Next was "Toy Soldier" by Britney Spears. That was also a no.

This went on until they reached "Livin' On A Prayer." At that point Atem suggested that they just use that song, but Yugi reminded him that it wasn't allowed. "But that doesn't mean we can't have an encore," he said teasingly. And before Atem could protest Yugi plugged the iPod into the dock and hit play.

Atem was surprised at how easy it was to just get up and start singing. In fact, he couldn't remember the last time he'd cut loose like this and just had fun. Soon he and Yugi were using TV remotes as mock microphones and jamming out on air guitars; and when the next song, "Just Dance" by Lady Gaga started playing, they went right on singing. They continued through "It's My Life"- also Bon Jovi; Cobra Starship's "The City Is At War"; Fall Out Boy's "The Take Over, The Break's Over"; SS501's "Déjà Vu", and only stopped when "Untouchable" by Taylor Swift started playing.

For a few minutes they sat side by side on the sofa in Yugi's living room tried to catch their breath. The song played softly in the background.

_Untouchable like a distant diamond sky_

_I'm reaching out and I just can't tell you why_

_I'm caught up in youI'm caught up in you_

_Untouchable, Burning brighter than the sun_

_And when you're close I feel like coming undone_

_In the middle of the night_

_When I'm in this dream_

_It's like a million little stars_

_Spelling out your name_

_You gotta come on, come on_

_Say that we'll be together_

_Come on, come on_

_Little taste of heaven._

Eventually Yugi broke the silence between them.

"I was surprised that you knew that last song."

"Déjà Vu?"

Yugi nodded.

Atem shrugged. "I guess we just have a very similar taste in music."

Yugi didn't answer. He'd just noticed that their knees were touching.

For the rest of the time that they sat on the sofa, neither of them moved their knees from that position, and they sat there for almost two hours.

* * *

_Probably a little shorter than you would've liked, but I think that's a good place to leave the story for now ;)_

_Atem: FINALLY! Some flirting!_

_Angel: You two have been flirting through this whole story._

_Anyway, as long as nothing terribly important happens, the next update should come soon because you have no idea how long I've been waiting to write this next chapter! Why? Because it's the first kiss._

_:D_

_*Insert the usual groveling for reviews*_

_~ Angel_


	7. I Dare You to Move Pt One

**Blah. The accursed writers block rears it's ugly godforsaken head once more. And I knew exactly what I wanted to happen in this chapter, I just couldn't get it right! Any who.**

**I disclaim the rights to all of the following plot devices: Yu-Gi-Oh! High School Musical, Dare You To Move, Zebras, Phineas and Ferb, eccentric step-fathers, Walruses, Caterpillars, funky hats and Alice In Wonderland in general.**

* * *

**Chapter Seven- I Dare You To Move (Part One)**

_Between who you are and who you could be _

_Between how it is and how it should be _

_I dare you to move _

_I dare you to move _

_I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor _

_I dare you to move _

_I dare you to move _

_Like today never happened _

_Today never happened _

_Maybe redemption has stories to tell _

_Maybe forgiveness is right where you fell _

_Where can you run to escape from yourself? _

_Where you gonna go? Where you gonna go? _

_Salvation is here_

_-Dare You To Move, Switchfoot_

* * *

The week passed in a blur for Atem. Sure, school was slow- he still dodged persistent cheerleaders, and Tea, and Marik- who were all becoming increasingly annoying each day- but he spent almost every afternoon with Yugi. They were supposed to be doing homework, but Yugi would put on his iPod while they did so and they usually wound up singing for the whole time. They hadn't picked a song for callbacks yet, and Ryou was getting a little bit miffed at both of them, but they were having fun. And best of all, Atem was staying far away from his eccentric stepfather and giving his friends time to miss him and realize that they were being ridiculous about the whole singing thing. They weren't able to hang out on Friday though, because Atem had basketball practice.

On Saturday Atem walked over to Yugi's house. They did need a song, and Yugi had said that he was welcome to come over that day. However, when Atem rang the doorbell it was not Yugi who answered, but his grandfather.

"Oh," Atem said awkwardly. "Is Yugi-" But he was cut off.

"Atem Yami? Oh, thank goodness! Come on, walk and talk."

And with that the man turned and began walking briskly through the house, leaving Atem no choice but to follow.

True to his word, Mr. Moto walked and talked- very quickly. "I have no idea what it is or where it came from, but Yugi's come down with some kind of virus and he's running a dangerously high fever. I need to make some phone calls and get in touch with the hospital but Yugi's room does not have the best reception in the world and right now…" he paused- both in speech and in pace- outside of what Atem could only assume to be Yugi's room (mainly because the sign on the door clearly read "Yugi's Room") before continuing in a quiet voice, "I'd rather not leave him alone for too long."

Atem's head was spinning at this point, but he got the gist of what was happening. "So you want me to stay with Yugi while you call people?"

"Yes, that's exactly it," Mr. Moto responded while opening the door and pushing Atem in.

Feeling more than a little confused and slightly shocked at having been pushed so forcefully by such a small man, Atem stumbled further into Yugi's room and promptly tripped over several piles of clothes and went crashing to the floor. Had Yugi not been sleeping, he would have laughed at the usually-well-composed boy's sudden bout of clumsiness. In his defense, the room was very dark- the lights were off and the shades down- so he couldn't really see very well. Once his eyes had adjusted, picked his way through discarded shirts and sweaters and over to Yugi.

However once he got there, he wasn't quite sure what to do. Should he sit? But where? Not on the bed- that seemed a little too intimate. Maybe he should stand. But who knew how long Yugi's grandfather would be away? And so it went.

Atem was jerked out of his mental conundrum by a feeble cough that sure sounded like it came from Yugi. At once Atem's instincts took over… or something like that.

He pushed Yugi's bangs out of the way and checked his temperature. He had no idea what it was precisely, but Yugi was burning up. Atem removed a few layers of blankets, hoping that it would help Yugi cool off, but was stopped when Yugi's hand flew out from under his head and attached to his wrist.

"Atem?" Yugi mumbled while opening his eyes a tiny bit.

"The one and only," Atem said lightly- or rather he tried to.

Yugi grinned. "Wow, imagine that." Then he laughed. "What's up with the weird hat?"

'_Hat?' _Atem thought as his free hand instinctively moved to his head. He wasn't wearing-

Oh. God.

"Yugi…"

"That's my name, don't wear it out." More laughter. "Oh hey! Guess what, guess what? I figured out what that Ushido- oopsie, Ukido- no wait, oh whatever. You know what he looks like? A walrus!" Hysterical giggles. "Get it? Get it Temmy? 'Cause he's… really big and… and he has really, really big eyebrows… they look like caterpillars, don't they? Don't they Te-" he lifted his head up slightly and his grin widened. "Temmy! When did you get here?"

'_Oh yeah. He's hallucinating alright. That can't be good.'_

Atem turned in the general direction of the door. "Um, Mr. Moto?" He called, a note of worry seeping into his tone. There was no answer.

Atem made to walk towards the door, but Yugi had a surprisingly firm grip on his wrist. "Where are you going?" He whined. "You can stay. Tell the zebra to move over so you can sit." **(1) **Yugi waved his hand at a perfectly empty space on the mattress. "Shoo you fat lazy- Oh whatever, just sit on him." And with that he tugged Atem down onto the bed. At once Atem began to try to pull his wrist free.

"Yugi, let go! You're really sick, I have to get your grandfather-"

"SHHHH!" Yugi hissed. He sat up at once and clamped his hand over Atem's mouth. "Don't talk about the plan in front of them." Yugi nodded towards a shelf filled with what looked like collectible toy cars. He leaned closer and whispered- loudly- in Atem's ear, "They're pretty suspicious looking. I think they know the secret."

Yugi's hand slid off Atem's mouth and instead latched onto his collar. Atem didn't notice though because he was too busy trying to free his hand from Yugi's fingers. "Lay down, Yugi- you have to sleep," he ordered in a distracted tone.

Yugi shook his head. "No way. You'll just try to leave again."

Atem sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand. "Alright, if I agree to stay, will you go back to sleep?"

Yugi paused with a thoughtful look on his face. Then his eyes slid out of focus and he mumbled "Free the oyster army," before falling backwards onto his mattress. Unfortunately he was still holding tightly to Atem's wrist and collar, so Atem went down with him.

Yugi's head hit the pillow and Atem stopped himself just before his forehead would have collided with Yugi's. They were literally two inches away from each other and they stayed that way for several minutes.

Yugi looked up at Atem through half closed eyes. He smiled. "Hey Atem. When did you get here?"

Atem blinked once. Twice. A third time. Still he didn't speak, nor attempt to move away. Yugi sighed and Atem felt his breath breeze past his face. Still he did not move.

"You're really a lot different than what I'd imagined, Atem." Yugi muttered. "You're funny and nice and I really, really like you." Yugi's eyes slid shut and he lifted his head up a little bit and their noses brushed and Yugi tilted his head a little to the right

And then Yugi kissed him.

Yugi. Kissed. Him.

Atem did not move.

After a few seconds, Yugi fell back again, his eyes still shut and a small grin on his lips.

Finally Atem sat up.

He stared down at Yugi, who by this time had fallen asleep again.

Time passed. How much time wasn't something Atem knew, but when the door flew open and hit the wall he didn't jump. He wasn't even remotely startled. He just turned around and saw Mr. Moto standing there.

"An ambulance is on the way. Can you please carry Yugi downstairs for me?"

Without thinking Atem stood and lifted Yugi easily off the bed and carried him to the living room. And when the ambulance arrived he walked right out the front door and handed Yugi to the paramedics. Mr. Moto ran to his car and either nobody noticed Atem get into the back of the Ambulance or they just didn't care. The next thing Atem was aware of was jumping from the ambulance to the sidewalk and watching the paramedics, Yugi, and Mr. Moto disappear into the Domino City Hospital. Atem waited until the emergency room doors had closed behind them before he turned around and ran away.

* * *

_**OKAY! First order of business: ~fan girl spazz~ **_

_**Second: (1)- Zebra taken from Candace's trippy adventures on Phineas and Ferb.**_

_**Third: I hope I'm not moving too fast here- I know Yugi got really sick really fast- But this is fan fiction and the plot must move along at some point. Those two things really have nothing to do with each other but who cares!**_

_**Four: ….that was my first kiss. Ever. **_

_**.**_

_**.**_

_**.**_

_**Don't look at me like that- you know what I mean! It's my first time writing a kissy scene. It was also my first time writing dialogue for a trippy sickie person. Hope it was funny!**_

_**OKAY!**_

_**So, part two is gonna be some heavy stuff. Little Temmy's got some sexuality-related issues to work through. It may take a while to post. But hey, at least you got that kiss!**_

_**:insert usual groveling for reviews, alerts, faves, cookies, plushies, yaoi, etc:**_

_**Love you guys! -collapses on keyboard, begins snoring-**_

_**~ Angel**_


	8. I Dare You To Move Pt Two

**I'm baaaaaaaack! **

***Dodges pitchforks***

**I know! I know! I'm sorry it took so long, but this chapter was a bitch! There's a lot that goes on in here, and since I'm writing from the perspective of a sexually confused teenage boy- which I am not- I had a really hard time hard writing this! Plus I started college a few weeks ago and spent pretty much all of August stressing over it, and there's been just a lot of little stuff that's piled up and there's been just way too much drama in my life.**

**But the good news is I'm getting used to the whole college thing now, the drama has died down, and I finally finished this chapter! Woooohooooo! *throws confetti***

**So! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!, I Dare You To Move by Switchfoot, or anything else in this story that someone could slap a copyright claim onto.**

**Chapter Eight- I Dare You To Move (Part 2)**

_Everybody's watching you now  
Everybody waits for you now  
What happens next?  
What happens next?_

_Welcome to the fallout  
Welcome to resistance  
The tension is here  
The tension is here  
Between who you are and you could be  
Between how it is and how it should be_

Maybe redemption has stories to tell  
Maybe forgiveness is right where you fell  
Where can you run to escape from yourself?  
Where you gonna go?  
Salvation is here

_~Dare You To Move, Switchfoot_

_

* * *

_When Atem took off from the hospital he ran without really knowing where he was going. He really wanted some place quiet where he could just think- or not think- about what was happening. Unfortunately the hospital was downtown and quiet wasn't easy to come by. Atem was very distracted as he was running- twice he was nearly hit by an oncoming car and he almost ran into quite a few people.

Atem finally stopped when he couldn't breathe properly and leaned against a wall for a few seconds. When he looked up, he realized that he was totally lost.

'_Millennium Street? I've never heard of this place before!_' He groaned. '_Guess I should call Pegasus and ask him to send the car._' He pushed off from the wall and turned to walk around the corner- and ran into an orange crate.

"Ouch!" He cried, stumbling backwards. A few fruits fell onto the sidewalk and Atem promptly kneeled down to pick them up.

"I'm really sorry about that," he said as he stood up. "Are you alr-" he broke off with a small gasp. "Hey I know you! You're the janitor I sometimes see at school!" And so he was. "What are you doing here?" Atem asked, then he winced realizing he probably sounded a little rude. The turbaned man didn't seem to mind though- well he was smiling anyway. "Yes, I do work at your school, in addition to this place-" he gestured toward the bodega behind him- "and several odd jobs on the side. In this economy I need all the work I can get." His smile turned a little mysterious and Atem had the distinct feeling that he was supposed to be getting something, like a joke, but he wasn't.

The man continued to speak. "Don't worry about the oranges- they're a resilient fruit. Now, I was just about to close the store for lunch. Why don't you come in and tell me what it is you're running from?"

Atem recoiled as though he'd been pushed. "I wasn't running from any…" he trailed off as the man gave him a knowing look.

"I've seen many people with your expression, Atem. That kind of look only appears on a face when that person is troubled. Now, come on inside and let's talk."

Everything Atem had ever learned about stranger danger was screaming at him, telling him to run far away in the opposite direction. But, while this guy was kinda creepy, it was more like an odd-creepy, not a rapist/serial killer creepy. So Atem told stranger-danger goody two shoes to shut its mouth and followed the man inside.

It seemed like an ordinary little street corner shop. There were refrigerators stocked with sodas, candy packages lining the walls, cigarettes, and other assorted normal store things. It was comforting to see all this normalcy what with all the weirdness surrounding him.

"Now then," And Atem jumped- he'd forgotten that the turbaned man was in the store, but he had just popped up from behind the counter. "I think the best place for you start is at the beginning. Take your time explaining, I can keep the store closed for a little while." As he talked the man unpacked a huge sandwich from a plastic bag and proceeded to slice it up. "Would you like some?" He asked, holding out a piece of the sandwich. Atem shook his head; he felt like if he ate he would vomit. The man shrugged and… Atem realized he was about to spill his life story to a guy who's name he didn't even know.

"Uh, before I tell you my life story, can you at least tell me your name?"

The man didn't even look up from the sandwich. "You can call me Shadi."

* * *

"You've got it bad."

After Atem had spent nearly two hours telling that Shadi guy everything that had happened since New Year's and blabbering on about how he didn't know if Yugi really did like him or if it was just the fever talking and Atem not even know if he was gay (although he'd never really been attracted to girls before, but he hadn't been attracted to guys either), Shadi had looked Atem in the eye and said those four words. Okay so that wasn't all he'd said.

Shadi had gone on to say, "You need to straight up ask Yugi about his feelings. He's shy about his sexuality and he wouldn't tell you anything unless you ask him directly. Don't beat around the bush, and don't say more than you need to. Oh, and give him time to answer you. If it takes him a minute or two to answer then don't freak out. Also, you need to calm down! You're eighteen years old- who said you need to have a concrete opinion on your gender preferences? Give Yugi a chance- who knows? You may find out that the reason you weren't attracted to anyone before now was just because the right person hadn't shown up."

And after that Shadi had handed Atem a water bottle, pointed him in the direction towards home and sent him on his merry way.

It had taken Atem four hours to walk home, and he'd spent every minute of it replaying those words in in his head. Sure, when Shadi said it, it seemed simple enough but Atem had a feeling that in reality it wasn't going to be so easy- the world wasn't black and white. It was multifaceted and complicated. It wasn't until Atem was walking up to the front door that a little voice in the back of his head spoke up.

'_Is Yugi worth it?' _

The question stopped Atem dead in his tracks, but the answer came easily.

'_Yes.'_

So with renewed conviction, Atem pushed his key into the lock and started preparing exactly what he was going to say to Yugi. He was interrupted by a loud voice from his left.

"Atem! Thank god, where have you been?"

He'd been gone all day and Atem just realized that he hadn't called Pegasus once.

Oops.

He turned around to face his livid stepfather, who became slightly less livid when he saw the look on his stepson's face. "You look like you're carrying the world on your shoulders. What's wrong, is it a girl?"

"No."

"A boy then? You know I don't care either way- is it that Marik kid? I always thought-"

"No! Christ, no not him! Not anyone- well maybe… I don't know! I just needed some time alone."

Pegasus snorted. "And you couldn't respond to one of my calls or texts?"

Atem's hand flew to his pocket and he realized he'd left his phone in Shadi's shop.

"I, er, lost my phone."

"You my boy, are grounded until Summer."

Atem narrowed his eyes. "I'm not your boy," he muttered. Then before Pegasus could say anything Atem said, louder this time, "I'm going outside to practice. I've got a game coming up."

Pegasus sighed. "More basketball? I swear Atem, I don't understand you- not one little bit."

It was the straw that broke the camel's back. "Maybe that's because you never tried to!"

Pegasus looked shocked. "What-"

"Don't give me that 'Oh what are you talking about' crap! When was the last time you came to one of my games? Or talked to me about anything besides who I'm dating, if anyone? You just don't care, do you?"

Atem felt like he could have gone on, but he bit back the rest and waited for an answer.

"You're right, I'm sorry."

Well that was unexpected.

"What?"

Pegasus sighed and walked over to the living room, motioning for Atem to follow. He debated running the other way, but he figured that he should probably see this through so he followed.

They sat on two different couches, but facing each other. Pegasus took a deep breath and said, softly, "Quite honestly, I haven't gone to any of your games because I thought you didn't want me there."

Oh crap, guilt trip. "Basketball was your dad's thing," Pegasus continued, "And I thought that if I went you would think that I was trying to replace him."

Atem looked down. Time to spill his guts. Again.

"Maybe I would have felt that way at first," he conceded. "But you could have asked me."

"You're right, I could have. And I apologize for making you feel like I didn't care. Now I'm going to tell you something you didn't know about me. Or at least I hope you didn't."

Atem looked up again and was shocked to see that his stepfather looked close to tears. "When I was your age I was a lot like you. The rich boy, top of the school, smart… and I was in love."

"With?" Atem asked.

"Her name was Cecilia. She was the most sought after girl in our city- or so it seemed. Boys and girls alike clamored for her attention and she turned them all down. I feared rejection, so I never approached her. Still I wanted to try to speak to her, and I planned to ask her on a date at our graduation, but she never showed up."

He sighed again and folded his hands on his lap before continuing.

"I found out that she'd died that morning on her way to graduation. At her funeral her mother told me that Cecilia had been enamored with me, and that she'd planned to ask me out after the graduation ceremony."

Atem was stunned by this. All this time he'd thought that Pegasus had never been in love with anyone, ever.

"The reason I tell you this, and why I constantly ask you if you're interested in anyone is because I know that you, like me, are afraid of rejection. I know, we never talked about that," he said, obviously anticipating Atem's question, "But I can tell by the way you act in life. And I just don't want you to end up like me- alone for the rest of your life. Even if it's not as dramatic as having the one you love killed in a car crash, even if it's something as simple as just waiting too long and having to watch that person marry someone else- I never want you to have to go through that."

Atem leaned back on the sofa and ran his finger through his hair. He was overwhelmed by everything he'd just heard.

Pegasus stood up and Atem followed suit.

"I'm not trying to scare you or anything. I just want you to know that really all I want is for you to be happy."

Atem nodded and stepped to the side. "I get that now, and I think I just need some time to-"

Pegasus was hugging him.

Atem couldn't remember the last time he'd hugged his stepfather.

"I know you're not usually good with this kind of thing," Pegasus said, "But if you ever need to talk to me I'm all ears."

And with that he stepped back and went to turn around, but Atem cleared his throat.

"Actually, I did want to talk to you about something. Er, I mean someone. His name is Yugi."

* * *

When Atem got to school on Monday the first thing he did was find Ryou. While it was true that he and Yugi hadn't agreed on a song, they needed one. Desperately. And Atem had found it- and he was pretty sure that Yugi was going to agree with him.

"Ryou, I have the song."

* * *

Mokuba Kaiba had spent his whole life thinking that there was nobody better than his siblings. Not at singing, not at dancing, not at anything. That was before he'd started spying on Atem and Yugi. Now Mokuba was starting to think that he was wrong, that maybe there was someone better- and nicer- than his own brother and sister. And truthfully, he wanted Yugi and Atem to get the lead role in the musical.

Unfortunately, Tea and Seto had other plans.

Seto had called Marik, Joey, and Tristan together to discuss their respective friends "problems." Right now, Seto was working on Marik.

"Marik, you're a smart person. You know that Atem is throwing his life away by doing this- he's loosing focus, he's not on top of his game anymore!"

Tea nodded her agreement before facing the other two boys.

"Joey, Tristan- you know that if Yugi gets up on that stage then the football team is going to be all over him, even if Atem is there. Do you want to watch him get hurt?"

Tea wasn't done though. "My brother and I just want what's best for them, and the whole school. We know how to make this problem go away! But we can't do it without you. Are you in?"

It was all Mokuba could do not to start screaming that Tea was wrong, that this was exactly what Yugi needed, and Atem too. But he was sure that Marik and Joey and Tristan were too smart for this. There was no way they would go along with it.

The three boys exchanged worried glances. Tristan shifted in his seat. Finally Marik opened his mouth.

"What did you have in mind?"

* * *

**0.0**

**Please drop a review, they make me smile. **

**Now….**

**DRAMATIC EXIT! *Enter ninja music here***


	9. The Music in Me

**BOO! TRICK OR TREAT! I DEMAND-Y LOTS OF CANDY! EXPELLIARMUS! ALL HAIL THE PUMPKIN KING! **

**Hooray and Huzzah! I have a treat for you on this night of delights, and I think you'll like it… IT'S AN UPDATE! YAY! *tosses candy corn like confetti into the air***

**This one is hilarious. I was hysterically laughing while I wrote this. I think it's even funnier than Yugi's little breakdown in chapter seven. So, don't read this and eat or drink at the same time. You might just choke. And die. And then you wouldn't review, which would make me sad. And see, now that I warned you, you have no reason whatsoever not to leave me ammo- I MEAN REVIEWS!**

**Disclaimer- I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!, High School Musical, "You are the Music In Me", The Emperor's New School, Harry Potter, or The Nightmare Before Christmas.**

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**Chapter Nine- Music In Me**

_I'm saying words I never said  
And it was easy  
Because you see the real me  
As I am…  
And that's more than I've ever known  
To hear your voice…  
And know I'm not alone_

_~You Are The Music In Me, High School Musical 2_

_

* * *

_

Yugi spent three days in the hospital recovering from his high fever. He regained his senses on the day after he'd been admitted and slept for twelve hours straight. The doctors said that Yugi had just been tired, and that caused what should have been a minor cold to turn into a dangerously high fever (**A/N I am not a doctor- just go with it. Please**) then they gave him a prescription for penicillin to kill the rest of the infection and sent him on his way. It was lucky that Yugi had gotten over the fever so quickly, the callbacks for the play were on Friday- and Yugi and Atem needed all the rehearsal time they could get.

Which was why Atem asked if he could stop by Yugi's house on the day he got home. Or so Atem had said over the phone. When they got to Yugi's room Atem sat down on the bed and asked Yugi (in a very hesitant tone of voice), "So, do you remember anything at all from Saturday?"

Yugi plopped down next to Atem and shook his head. "No, I don't remember anything before Sunday night. Why, what did I do?"

Atem jumped a bit as though startled, but his voice was even when he said, "Nothing really, although you did mention Zebras, secret plans and an oyster army."

Yugi blushed and hid his face in his hands. "Ugh. I must have sounded like I was on drugs."

Atem laughed nervously, though what he had to be nervous about was a mystery to Yugi.

Having recovered from his embarrassment, Yugi stood and made to walk over to his desk to retrieve his iPod.

"I guess we should get this show on the road, huh?"

He hadn't expected Atem to say anything (it had been a rhetorical question after all) and he certainly didn't expect Atem to put his hand on Yugi's arm and say, "Actually, there's something I need to talk to you about."

Yugi felt his heart stutter and then pick up the pace. He swallowed and sat back down. Atem let his hand drop from it's previous position, trailing his fingers down Yugi's arm as he did so. They were turned towards each other, each in a similar position- with one leg tucked under them and the other hanging off the bed.

"I lied to you before," Atem said quietly, keeping his eyes trained on the carpet. "About Saturday. You didn't just talk about zebras and oysters…" his voice trailed off.

There was absolute silence in the house. It was as if everything had stopped for this moment. Yugi waited, leaning forward without realizing he was doing so. Atem finally looked up from the floor and stared right into Yugi's eyes. He did not look away as he said, "You told me that you liked me."

Yugi's heart stopped altogether. But Atem wasn't finished.

"And you kissed me."

Yugi's vision swam and he thought he would faint. He broke eye contact with Atem and gazed instead at his hands, which were now fisted in the quilt. Before he could say a word though, Atem reached out and placed one of his hands atop one of Yugi's.

"Yugi," Atem whispered. "Please look at me."

Yugi lifted his eyes again. Atem shifted closer to Yugi; their legs were touching now, and their faces were so close that Yugi could see that Atem had a very light row of freckles across his nose, something he'd never noticed before.

Atem continued, and he didn't say what Yugi thought he would say.

"Yugi, tell me that it wasn't just the fever talking."

At first Yugi thought he'd misheard. Then, slowly his heart speed up again.

"What are you saying?" Like Atem, Yugi spoke in a whisper. It was if they both thought that if they spoke too loud then the moment would be lost. Atem smiled and leaned even closer.

"I'm saying that I like you, Yugi Moto. And not just as a friend, either. And honestly, I'm glad that you kissed me. And…"

Yugi hadn't thought that they could get much closer without touching, but Atem managed it. Yugi inhaled sharply and found that he was having trouble exhaling again. Somewhere in the back of his mind Yugi thought he heard a bell somewhere in the house, but he quickly forgot about it, because the two of them were so close that Yugi could feel Atem's breath on his lips as he said,

"I really just want to kiss you again. Now. Is that-"

"Yes." How Yugi found the oxygen to say that word was a mystery to him, but it didn't matter because Atem leaned forward again and this time there would be no avoiding physical contact. The hand Atem had placed on top of Yugi's twitched and Yugi flipped it over and threaded his fingers between Atem's. They'd reached the point of no return, and this was the kiss that would change everything.

Then something slammed into Yugi's bedroom door.

* * *

_/Five minutes ago, downstairs/ _

It wasn't every day that Solomon Moto ate chocolate cake.

See, although he didn't like to admit it, he was getting up there in age, and the sugar really wasn't good for him. However after the weekend he'd had, Solomon figured he deserved a treat.

So when Yugi and Atem had gone upstairs to rehearse, he'd put an "Out to Lunch" sign on the shop's door and gone onto the kitchen to retrieve the slice of cake he'd purchased earlier from the bakery down the block.

"Hello there, early death," he muttered as he set the triple chocolate fudge heart attack just waiting to happen on the table.

'Oh well," he thought to himself with a shrug. 'It's worth it.'

Just as he was about to dig in, the doorbell rang.

"Eh? Who could that be?" he asked himself as he set down the fork, mildly miffed at having been interrupted.

He opened the door to find Joey and Tristan standing on the stoop. They were both panting and looked slightly windswept, as if they'd ran the whole way over.

"Oh hello there, boys," he said. "What brings you here?"

"We have to talk to Yugi," Joey said, and Tristan nodded in agreement. He was a little more out of shape than Joey, and was having trouble catching his breath.

Solomon nodded. "He's upstairs with Atem, rehearsing for the musical."

"Oh, Atem's here too?" Joey asked.

"Yes, that's what I said," Solomon replied tersely, but he was ignored as both Joey and Tristan took off toward Yugi's room.

Solomon stared after them for a few seconds, then shrugged and went back to the table. "Teenagers," he sighed as he picked up his fork.

Only to put it down again almost immediately as the doorbell rang a second time.

"Now what?" he growled as he stomped over to the door. This time there was a completely unfamiliar boy standing outside. He had tanned skin and blonde hair, and once the door was open he immediately launched into speech.

"Hi, I'm Marik, I'm a friend of Atem's… I was told he'd be here? I really need to talk to him, it's important."

"He's in Yugi's room," Solomon said flatly. Just what was his house, Grand Central Station? "It's upstairs, the first door on the right."

"Thanks," he called as he raced up the steps.

Solomon shut the door and took a deep, calming breath. Then he walked back to the table AGAIN, sat back down AGAIN, picked up the fork AGAIN, and speared a bit of cake with his fork. Just as he was about to take a bite… the doorbell rang. AGAIN.

STOMP. STOMP. STOMP.

He flung the door open and this time was confronted by a small boy with wild black hair and big blue eyes. "Is this Yugi Moto's house? I really need to talk to him. I'm Mokuba Kaiba, by the way."

* * *

_/Meanwhile, back in Yugi's room/ _

"Yugi, open up! It's me and Tristan!...Come on man, I know you're in there!"

When they had first heard the knock Yugi and Atem had sprung apart so fast that Yugi had knocked his head on the wall behind his bed and Atem had actually thrown himself into a standing position. The knocking continued but Yugi ignored it, so Atem walked over and let Yugi's friends in.

Tristan fell on his knees and tried desperately to catch his breath, while Joey slammed the door and launched into a shouting fit.

"Yugi! Atem! Seto and Tea! They're evil, I tell ya! See they've got this plan-"

But the door banged open again and in walked the last person Atem had ever expected to see in Yugi's house.

"Marik?"

"Hey Atem, you're dad said you'd be here. Listen, some crazy shit is about to go down with-"

"YOU!" Joey roared, pointed an accusing finger at the newcomer. "Just what in the HELL do you think you're doing here, ya big traitor?"

Marik narrowed his eyes. "Who are you calling a traitor?" he snarled in an equally accusing tone. "From what I saw you weren't exactly voicing any objections!"

From the floor, Tristan gasped and moaned, "I can't breathe…" He was ignored as the door banged open once again, this time clipping Joey's shoulder and sending him tumbling into Marik, who pushed him off and almost into the two newest intruders- Solomon Moto and the Brother of the Evil Ones Himself. Although at the moment, Mr. Moto was the one who looked the most evil. In fact, he looked ready to kill.

"Alright Yugi, if this doorbell rings one more time I sw- Yugi… are you alright?"

See, from the moment his and Atem's kiss had been interrupted, Yugi's only movement had been to hide his face in his hands, which had happened right around the time Tristan had collapsed on the floor. He had not moved from that position since then, and although nobody knew it, all he could think was 'He was about to kiss me…he was about to kiss me… I AM GOING TO KILL JOEY AND TRISTAN.' Not necessarily in that order, but something to that effect.

If Yugi had cared to look up at that moment, he would have seen that everyone's attention was focused on him. However he did not care to do so, and so without looking up Yugi said (in a rather desperate, miserable and muffled voice) "I'm fine. Peachy. Nothing to worry about at all. Go on, I'm listening."

"Right," Mr. Moto said slowly. "Anyway, are you expecting any other guests?"

"No," said Yugi and Atem at the same time.

"Well then. I'll be downstairs. Don't nobody bother me for the next ten minutes or else. Got it?"

Once everyone in the room had nodded their consent, Mr. Moto shut the door and stomped downstairs. Almost at once Joey, Marik and Mokuba opened their mouths, but Yugi- who had final picked himself up off the bed and lowered his hands- cut them off.

"One at a time," he said slowly and menacingly, "Starting with Joey and going in order from them, explain what the hell is going on. And it had better. Be. Good."

Everyone gulped and nodded, except for Tristan, who still lying on the floor and gasping. Even Atem looked nervous, and Yugi wasn't even mad at him. Still, for such a small and quiet guy, Yugi was downright terrifying right now. Not that Atem was any happier at the moment.

Yugi looked down at Tristan and sighed. "And will somebody please go across the hall to the bathroom and get Tristan some water? There should be some plastic cups in there."

Twenty minutes, three almost fistfights, one shouting match and three glasses of water later, the three (four if you count Tristan, who finally regained his breath around the time Joey called Marik a 'Basketball obsessed prima') boys had relayed their story to Atem and Yugi, who could not believe how far Seto and Tea had taken this audition thing.

"I can't believe how far they've taken this audition thing!" Atem cried as he paced around the room.

"Well then, you obviously don't know my brother and sister very well," Mokuba commented.

"No you're right," Yugi said softly. "We don't."

Yugi was sitting on the edge of his bed again, and he had his elbow on his knee and his head in his hand. Now he looked up and caught Atem's gaze. Though they were standing a good ten feet away from each other, Atem could still see the tears in Yugi's eyes.

"Maybe we should just give up."

Atem felt his jaw drop. Around the room, the rest of the boys exchanged shocked looks, but didn't say anything. This was between Atem and Yugi.

Atem swallowed and took a step toward Yugi. "Y-you really want to just…give up? After everything?"

"Of course not!" Yugi yelled. "But what can we do? They tried to get our friends to turn us against each other, they're obviously not going to stop until we pull out of the audition!"

Atem could see where Yugi was coming from. He had been bullied almost his entire life, and he was sick of being the one that everyone targeted. But that was why he had to be in the school play! Atem knew that once Yugi got on that stage and sang, the whole school would be blown away by his voice. Yeah, maybe the football team would still pick on him, but at least Yugi would be able to walk down the hall and hear some nice comments. There had to be some people who would see him and smile, tell him what a great job he did in the play. Maybe some of them would even protect him. Hell, once he got into that play he would have the whole drama club on his side. He could make new friends, friends who would stick up for him. There was just too much riding on this for Yugi to walk away from it now.

"No way."

Yugi stared at him in shock. "What?"

Atem turned to the others, who were all looking at the ceiling and pretending not to listen. "Could you give us a minute?"

It was almost comical, the speed at which the four of them vanished. Once the door had shut, Atem rushed over to Yugi and knelt down in front of him.

"What do you mean 'No way'?" Yugi asked as the tears began to fall.

Atem grabbed Yugi's hand. "I won't let them take this from you. My God, Yugi- you deserve this! There isn't a better singer in this whole school and you-" he broke off, trying to figure out the best way to say what he was thinking.

"You're too good a person to be pushed around like this. It stops now, Yugi. One way or another it's going to stop."

Yugi grasped Atem's hand tighter. "Why are you doing this for me?"

Atem grinned and wrapped his arms around Yugi, pulling the smaller boy into an embrace. He didn't give Yugi an answer. Instead he waited until Yugi had calmed down and then pulled him to his feet. They stood like that for a moment, their fingers laced together and just looking at each other. Then Atem leaned down until his lips were level with Yugi's ear.

"Can't you guess?" Atem whispered, before he brushed his lips against Yugi's cheek. It wasn't exactly a kiss, but it would have to work for now. Atem pulled away and smiled down at Yugi.

"I've got a plan, but we're gonna need help. Now, let's go get the others back in here- I'm sure they're getting tired of listening through the door."

* * *

***Gasp!* What drama! What excitement! What a fabulous cliffhanger ending!**

**Now I know you all must hate me for that interrupted kiss. Why don't you vent to me about it? In a review, perhaps? ;) **

**Happy Halloween, everyone!**

**~Angel**

**(Trick or treat! And reviews are my treat!)**

**PS- I saw a Christmas commercial on TV this afternoon. I nearly broke the screen. And then I nearly cried.**

**DOWN WITH THE COMMERCIALIZATION OF HOLIDAYS!**


	10. Like I'm Living a Teenage Dream

OMFG, 2 chapters within a week of each other, WHAAAAAT?

Yeah, I couldn't leave you guys hanging like that.

BE WARNED! THIS STORY IS RATED "T"! That's T as in, "Yaoi." So enjoy, and don't say I didn't warn you ;)

**I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! High School Musical, or Teenage Dream.**

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Chapter Ten- Like I'm Living a Teenage Dream

_You make me  
Feel like I'm living a teenage dream  
The way you turn me on  
I can't sleep  
My heart stops  
When you look at me  
Just one touch  
Now baby I believe this is real  
So take a chance  
And don't ever look back  
~Teenage Dream, Katy Perry_

* * *

Yugi stalked down the hall, his eyes blazing with anger and his fists clenched. Nobody dared to get in his way- in fact, they all moved aside for him. If his heart wasn't hammering so hard from nerves, Yugi might have laughed- they seemed to be intimidated by him!

But Yugi didn't have time to laugh. It was 3:00 on Thursday afternoon, and the whole school would be watching what was about to go down. Okay, maybe not the whole school- but pretty damn close. And that was what Yugi was counting on right now.

Just down the hall, Atem was standing by his locker, chatting with Marik. Yugi stormed up to them, grabbed Atem by the arm and spun him around.

Atem faced Yugi with a careful look of nonchalance on his face. He showed no signs of shock at Yugi's anger, and he didn't flinch when Yugi raised his phone.

"What the hell is this?" Yugi hissed menacingly.

"Well, it looks like a phone," Marik said snidely. Yugi whirled on him.

"I wasn't talking to you, you basketball obsessed prima."

The crowd of students around Yugi, Atem, and Marik gasped. The three boys ignored them- Yugi wasn't even sure when they'd all started watching in the first place.

Atem stood between Marik and Yugi, as if to keep them from fighting, but he never took his eyes off of Yugi for a second. Yugi was worried that this fact might tip someone off, but at the same time he was grateful. This was hard enough, and somehow just knowing that he had Atem's undivided attention was enough to keep him calm.

Atem spoke slowly, but loudly enough that he could be heard by the gawkers. This was a performance after all, and the audience wanted to hear it all.

"I said everything in the text message, Yugi," Atem's tone was indifferent.

"Like hell," Yugi cried, throwing his hands in the air. "You can't be serious! You're dropping out of the audition? On the last day before? What the fuck am I supposed to do now?"

Once again there were gasps. Nobody had ever heard Yugi curse before!

"I don't know," Atem replied. "And quite frankly I don't care." Then he turned around and started to walk away.

"I thought you were my friend!" Yugi screamed after him. "I thought that this meant something to you!"

Atem turned around. For half a second, Yugi thought he wouldn't say it. He didn't know if that was a good or bad thing, but before he could figure it out the moment passed.

"You were wrong," Atem said frankly. And he continued on his way.

No sooner had he disappeared did Joey and Tristan materialized beside Yugi.

"We told you," Tristan said gently. "We told you he was a jerk, and now look- he's proven it."

Yugi sighed in despair- or he seemed to anyway- and shoved a hand through his hair.

"Yeah," he gasped, as if on the verge of tears. "You were right. I guess I never meant anything to him after all."

* * *

Atem didn't ring the doorbell when he got to Yugi's house- he didn't need to anymore, Yugi had given him a key. Mr. Moto wasn't home- he'd gone to a town meeting and wouldn't be back until late that night. So it would just be him and Yugi.

Atem slammed the door shut and raced up the stairs to Yugi's room. His heart was pounding in his chest, and his mouth was dry. He'd hated having to say that stuff to Yugi earlier, and he felt an overwhelming need to apologize.

He flung the door open and at once saw Yugi. He was sitting in the middle of his bed, legs crossed and a Cheshire cat grin on his face.

"So," Yugi said casually, "Do you think they bought it?"

Atem hesitated, then a grin spread slowly across his face, too.

"Without a doubt."

He stepped into the room and shut the door behind him. Why he did, he didn't know- they were alone after all. Actually, he wasn't even sure why they were in Yugi's room to begin with. They had the whole house to themselves after all.

Still, Atem did have other things on his mind at the moment.

He dropped down next to Yugi on the bed, and Yugi turned to him and said, barely able to hold back a laugh as he did, "I can't wait to see their faces tomorrow afternoon!"

Just imagining the looks of shock and horror on their faces was enough to make both boys burst into laughter. Insane laughter. The kind that makes people stop and stare, or hurry off to call an asylum. Yugi fell back onto his pillow and at some point Atem leaned too far sideways and fell over as well, his head landing on Yugi's stomach. Neither boy seemed to mind that, though.

It took them several minutes to calm down, because every time they looked at each other they'd start laughing again. But eventually it just hurt too much to laugh anymore, and they clutched their sides and tried to catch their breath. Atem closed his eyes and sighed, listening to Yugi's uneven gasps turn into rhythmic breaths. Yugi's hand was lying a few inches from his nose, and without really thinking about why he did it Atem reached out and brushed the tips of his fingers along the back of Yugi's hand. He continued this for a while, and soon he felt Yugi's other hand at the back of his head, brushing gently through his hair.

It occurred to Atem around this time that there was something that he should have done a while ago, but he hadn't, and this was the perfect opportunity to remedy the situation.

So, Atem pushed himself up and inched up the mattress until his face was level with Yugi's. He stopped stroking Yugi's hand and instead laced his fingers with Yugi's. He rested his other arm on the pillow and shifted his body so that he hovered slightly over Yugi.

Atem didn't ask for permission this time, and Yugi didn't wait for Atem to do so. Instead Yugi lifted his head up and closed the distance between them, locking their lips in a soft embrace.

And this time, when Yugi kissed him Atem did not freeze and wonder what he should do. Instead, Atem kissed him back. Again, and again, and again.

They never broke apart for longer than a second, even as it got harder for them to breathe. They started off short and gentle and slowly worked their way into longer, more demanding kisses. They let go of each other's hands and instead traced invisible paths along the other's flesh.

Eventually Yugi pushed his hands under Atem's shirt and Atem suddenly wondered if he should stop him. Were they moving too fast? Traditionally- at least, to the best of his knowledge- people waited until after they'd been on a date to…just what was Yugi intending to do anyway?

Atem broke the kiss and held onto Yugi's wrists.

"What-" he began, not even knowing where he was going, just that he needed to say something. He never found out what it was though, because Yugi pulled his wrists free and wrapped his arms around Atem's neck. Surprised by this move Atem offered no resistance as Yugi pulled him down again. Yugi hesitated, his lips a breath away from Atem's. It wasn't because he was nervous, though. No, Yugi hesitated only long enough to look up into Atem's eyes and whisper,

"Just go with it."

And so when Yugi once again pressed his lips to Atem's and continued to inch his fingers along Atem's stomach, Atem moaned softly and thought to himself,

'Screw tradition, this feels too right to be wrong.'

* * *

*While trying to stop her nosebleed* Sorry it's so short.

Next up- It's audition time! That means there's only one chapter left, plus an epilogue...so really it's two chapters. And now I have a very serious question, and I want answers! Even if you haven't reviewed before, I still want your input on this.

Who would be interested in a sequel? It would NOT be based on High School Musical 2, it would be an original plot that focuses mostly on Atem's angsting over his sexual orientation/relationship with Yugi. And fluff. There would be fluff. So if you want it, tell me now.

Thanks for reading!

~Angel

PS- NO, I AM NOT GOING TO WRITE A LEMON IN THIS STORY. NOR ARE THEY GOING AT IT RIGHT NOW. You pervs.

XD love you!


	11. Your Song

**I don't own anything. Not the songs, not the characters…nothing.**

* * *

_Chapter Eleven- Your Song_

_My gift is my song_  
_And this one's for you_  
_And you can tell everybody_  
_That this is your song_

_~Your Song, Ewan McGregor (Moulin Rouge)_

* * *

In all of Ryo Bakura's years in stage business, he had never been so anxious about an audition in his life, and he wasn't even the one auditioning! He'd gotten to the auditorium an hour ahead of time and he'd already checked the piano five times to make sure that it was perfectly tuned, swept the stage twice (even though it wasn't his job) and he'd even polished the microphones…and he still had twenty minutes left. So now all he could do was pace back and forth across the stage while he chewed his nails down to the quick.

Ten minutes before the set time, Ms. Valentine walked into the auditorium.

"Ryo!" she said in surprise. "How long have you…are you alright?"

Ryo finally stopped pacing. "I'm fine!" He said, his voice a little higher than usual. He cleared his throat. "Just excited, that's all…this my first musical after all."

Ms. Valentine smiled. "Yes, well, I'm sure you'll be-"

The rest of her words were lost as the auditorium door flew open with a bang.

"We're here!" Tea called as she sauntered down the aisles. Behind her trailed Seto, looking as intimidating as ever, and about thirty members of the drama club.

Ms. Valentine turned around. "Tea, darling! You look fabulous today! And Seto, as handsome as ever!"

Tea flipped her short hair behind her ear and grinned. "Well, shall we get started then?" and then she proceeded up the stairs and onto the stage.

Ryo felt the blood drain from his face. "B-but there's still time!"

Seto snorted. "Please, we're only what, seven minutes early?"

Ms. Valentine shrugged. "If you want to start now then go ahead. Ryo, please set up the piano."

'Yugi…Atem… where are you guys?' Ryo thought desperately as he walked dejectedly over to Tea and took the CD with their music from her outstretched hand. Really, she could have put the CD in herself, but of course she wanted someone to do it for her.

An idea struck Ryo the instant he took the CD. Hiding a manic grin, he purposely turned around too fast and as he stepped forward he "slipped" and fell to the floor, the CD flying out of his hand.

There were gasps all around as Ryo hit the ground.

'Ouch! Okay, maybe I didn't think that through well enough…' Ryo thought as pain rippled through his body.

"Are you alright, honey?" Ms. Valentine yelped as she jumped onto the stage.

"I'm fine," Ryo called weakly. "But…I dropped the CD."

It took almost ten minutes of searching to find the CD (it had slid all the way to the back of the stage and under an old table) and by that time Ryo was sure that everyone was in place, so he placed the disk into the old CD player and stepped back to watch Tea and Seto preform.

'Suckers,' he thought, this time letting the evil grin spread across his face. 'You are going down!'

* * *

In a secluded area in the back of the auditorium, Yugi and Atem sat crouched behind a row of seats and listen for their cue.

Yugi had been a nervous wreck all day, and now he felt like he would throw up. His hands were shaking and in an effort to stop it he had clenched them so tightly that he was leaving crescent shaped nail marks in his palms.

Atem was considerably more relaxed, mostly because he was used to being in the spotlight- being the star of the basketball team would do that to a person- and now he placed his hands on top of Yugi's and leaned over to whisper into his ear.

"Relax, you're going to give yourself a heart attack."

Yugi tried to breathe deeply. Instead he almost hyperventilated.

"_I want somebody to speed it up for me  
Then take it down slow… there's enough room for both!"_

Yugi swallowed. "She sounds amazing," he whispered.

"_If you want it, you already got it  
If you thought it, it better be what you want  
If you feel it, it must be real, just…  
Say the word and  
Imma give you what you want!"_

"Crap, they both sound amazing!" he moaned. "How the hell can we beat them?"

Atem sighed and moved forward a few inches. He was afraid that Yugi would make himself faint, and fortunately Atem knew the perfect way to distract him.

"How many times," he whispered, his lips brushing against Yugi's as he spoke. "Do I need to tell you that you are an amazing singer before you start believing it?"

Yugi didn't answer, nor did Atem expect him to. Atem pushed his lips against Yugi's and flicked his tongue over the younger boy's lip before pulling away.

Yugi whined and inched closer to Atem, winding his arms around his neck and pulling him back.

When they pulled apart the second time Yugi leaned his forehead against Atem's and moved his hands up into Atem's hair. Atem placed his hands on Yugi's hips and tugged him closer.

"When we're up on stage," Atem whispered. "If you start to get nervous or think that you can't do it, then I want to think back to right now and remember how you felt. That should help with the stage fright."

Yugi nodded. "Now that I believe," he whispered and pulled Atem in for a third and final kiss.

"Bravo!" They heard Ms. Valentine call and the observing drama students applauded politely.

Atem pulled away again, but this time he was smiling.

"Well, that's our cue," he said, and together they stood up.

* * *

Atem had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing at the looks on Tea and Seto's faces when he and Yugi marched down the aisle.

"What are you doing here?" Seto asked incredulously.

"We're here for our audition, what else?" Atem asked with a smirk.

"Are you guys alright?" Yugi asked in a mischievous tone. "You look a little…surprised to see us."

That time Atem really did laugh.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Ryo shouted, leaping up and running over to the piano. "Let's get this show on the road!"

Atem and Yugi waltzed up onto the stage. Atem picked up the spare microphone from the floor, but Yugi stopped in front of Tea.

"I'll be needing that," he told her, gesturing towards her microphone. She clenched her fist around it before dropping it into his palm.

"You'll also need to get off the stage," Yugi informed her patiently. There were snickers from the audience as she and Seto stalked into the wings. When Yugi turned to face Atem, there was no more fear in his eyes, just a fierce sparkle that dared anyone to tell him that he was anything less than deserving of the stage.

Atem smiled proudly. This was the Yugi he'd been wanting to see; this was the boy who would show the school who he was and what he could do.

Ryo played the opening chords of their song- the one that Atem had known would be perfect not just for the audition, but for Yugi as well. This song would only serve to remind him of what he needed to do.

Yugi opened his mouth to sing, and it was like the whole world paused to listen in awe.

_"Just a small town girl, __livin' in a lonely world_  
_She took the midnight train goin' anywhere."_

Atem smiled widely and raised his microphone.

_"Just a city boy, born and raised in south Detroit_  
_He took the midnight train goin' anywhere."_

_"A singer in a smoky room…"_

_"The smell of wine and cheap perfume…"_

And together, they sang;  
_"For a smile they can share the night_  
_It goes on and on and on and on!_

_Strangers waiting, up and down the boulevard_  
_Their shadows searching in the night_  
_Streetlight people, living just to find emotion_  
_Hiding, somewhere in the night!"_

Atem stepped back as Yugi took the center stage. He took a firm stance and stared straight into the audience.

_"Working hard to get my fill... e__verybody wants a thrill! _

_Payin' anything to roll the dice, just one more time!"_

Atem was mesmerized. Watching him, you knew that Yugi belonged on the stage, that this was what he had been born to do. He _owned_ that stage.

_"Some will win, some will lose_  
_Some were born to sing the blues_  
_Oh, the movie never ends_  
_It goes on and on and on and on!"_

Atem jumped back in.

_"Strangers waiting, up and down the boulevard_  
_Their shadows searching in the night_  
_Streetlight people, living just to find emotion_  
_Hiding, somewhere in the night!"_

They didn't take their eyes off each other as they sang,

_"Don't stop believin'! Hold on to the feelin'!_  
_Streetlight people!_  
_Don't stop believin', Hold on to the feelin'_  
_Streetlight people_  
_Don't stop believin', Hold on to the feelin'_  
_Streetlight people!"_

_"DON'T STOP!"_

They dropped their microphones and turned, panting, to face their audience. For a few seconds, there was complete silence.

Then all thirty people simultaneously leapt to their feet and burst into applause.

* * *

Seto Kaiba sighed. He was many things- stubborn, calculating, cold and intimidating, among other things- but he was not stupid; he knew when he'd been beaten.

"Well, Tea, I hate to say it but…" He blinked. She was gone. "Tea?" He called. "Where…" And then he heard her.

"OHMYGOSH!" You guys were _incredible_! I had no idea you could sing like that!"

Seto sighed.

"My sister, the fangirl," he muttered with a laugh.

* * *

Atem slept over at Yugi's house that night. Yugi told his grandfather that they were just going to be watching TV and if they needed anything they could get it themselves.

They did not turn on the TV. Instead they laid down side by side on on Yugi's bed, their legs tangled together and hands clasped. Atem leaned over to Yugi and placed his lips at his throat.

"Now do you believe me?" Atem whispered as he kissed Yugi's neck, once...twice...a third time. Yugi tilted his head back and Atem moved his lips up, leaving a trail of kisses from Yugi's collarbone to the underside of his jaw. Yugi sighed and whispered back, "I think I need some more convincing."

The corners of Atem's lips twitched up. "Oh really?" he asked as Yugi shifted even closer to him. Atem lifted his face and pressed a gentle kiss to Yugi's lips. He pulled away slowly, staring into Yugi's eyes.

"I think I can do that."

* * *

***is in a yaoi-induced haze***

**So yeah….you know, review and stuff…tell me that you liked it, it's the best story ever, etcetera…**

**Oh yeah, next up is the epilogue…. WAIT, WHAT? *snaps out of haze* OMG, I DON'T BELIEVE IT! MY FIRST MULTI-CHAPTERED FANFIC IS ALMOST DONE!**

***flails about* This is huge! This is such a milestone for me! Holy mother of Isis, I can't believe it!**

**And look! I HAVE OVER FIFTY REVIEWS! AAAAAHHHH!**

**I seriously love you guys, all of you… even the ones who don't review, I love you too :)**

**~Angel**


	12. Epilogue: At the Beginning

**Finished. Done. Over. My first multi-chaptered fiction is…complete.**

**Yes this is short, but it was hard to write. It's fitting, though, and I really hope you enjoy it.**

**Disclaimer: It is not mine. None of it. Never has been, never will be.**

**

* * *

**

_Epilogue- At the Beginning_

_We were strangers, starting out on a journey_  
_Never dreaming what we'd have to go through_  
_Now here we are_  
_And I'm suddenly standing_  
_At the beginning with you_

_No one told me I was going to find you_  
_Unexpected, what you did to my heart_  
_When I had lost hope_  
_You were there to remind me_  
_This is the start_

_Knew there was somebody somewhere_  
_Like me, alone in the dark_  
_Now I know my dream will live on_  
_I've been waiting so long_  
_Nothing's gonna tear us apart_

_And life is a road, and I want to keep going_  
_Love is a river I want to keep flowing_  
_Life is a road, now and forever, wonderful journey_  
_I'll be there when the world stops turning_  
_I'll be there when the storm is through_  
_At the end I want to be standing at the beginning_  
_With you_

_~At the Beginning, from Anastasia_

* * *

Opening night for the musical came far too quickly for Yugi. He knew all his lines, he could sing better than half the musical artists out there, and now he had a whole army of drama club singers and stage crew members to defend him against the football team…but Yugi couldn't imagine how he could go up in front of all those people and not faint or throw up.

An hour before the Curtain call, Yugi was sitting in a store room behind the stage with his head between his knees and trying not to vomit. He was shaking and he couldn't breathe properly, and he was pretty sure that if he tried to stand his legs would collapse out from under him.

He wished Atem were with him, but the older boy was currently in another room getting his hair dyed. The musical was supposed to be about twins, and Ryo had suggested that it might be a good idea if their hair colors matched, so rather than make Yugi bleach his hair, Atem had volunteered to get his dyed- temporarily of course.

It had been Tea's idea to keep the identity of the final cast for the musical secret. Since everyone had seen or heard about Atem and Yugi's big fight, they assumed that the two of them hadn't gone to the audition, and that the big secret involved some supporting cast. The drama club were all sworn to secrecy, and nobody said anything- so when the curtain went up, it would be the first time that anyone knew what had really happened during the callbacks.

"45 minutes to curtain!" Ryo yelled.

'Oh God,' Yugi moaned to himself.

There was a knock on the door and then Atem walked in- already in costume and smelling of hair dye.

"You smell like hair dye," Yugi teased in a shaky tone. Atem shut the door and knelt down in front of him.

"I know you can do this," he said gently, taking Yugi's face in his hands and tilting it up. "You deserve the spotlight, and you deserve to be the one that they all applaud for."

Yugi felt tears well up in his eyes. "And if that doesn't happen?"

Atem kissed him and Yugi fisted his hands in Atem's shirt, simultaneously deepening the kiss. After a few seconds Atem pried Yugi's hands off of him and pulled back.

"I'll be standing right next to you," he said. "I'm not gonna let anyone hurt you again."

Yugi nodded, not fully reassured but finally able to stand without collapsing. He and Atem walked out to the stage and sat facing the closed curtain. They didn't speak, or touch again. Instead they listened to the sounds of the auditorium filling up with their classmates.

Finally, Ryo shouted, "We're on in 60 seconds."

Atem looked Yugi dead in the eye. "You ready?"

Yugi gave him a small smile. "As ready as I'll ever be."

They stood up and Atem reached over and gave Yugi's hand a brief squeeze. They each adjusted their clip-on microphones.

"Action!"

* * *

Yugi stood at his locker, struggling to balance his books, his cup of coffee and open his locker at the same time.

"Hey there, Justin Bieber."

Yugi didn't even bother to turn around. "Good morning, Ushio," he said distractedly. Rex grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Look at me when-" he snarled, and a second later Ushio was slammed into the lockers next to Yugi.

"You got a problem here, tough guy?" Marik growled. He had one hand on Ushio's neck, the other pulled back and ready to punch.

"What's with you, Marik?" Ushio gasped.

Marik smirked. "Haven't you heard? The basketball team is a big fan of Yugi's- we consider him one of our own now." He leaned closer to Ushio, and his voice turned low and threatening. "You mess with him, you mess with us." He stepped back and Ushio stumbled forward. He shot Yugi a terrified glance, and Yugi stood there, calmly sipping his coffee. Ushio ran off.

"And spread the word to the rest of your loser friends!" Atem called after Ushio. He'd walked up behind Yugi and now leaned his arm on the shorter boy's shoulders. Once the bully had disappeared around the corner, Marik, Atem and Yugi burst into laughter.

"Damn, that was fun" Marik said, pumping his fist into the air. "Let's do that again!"

"If anyone else pops up, I give you permission to threaten them," Yugi told him.

"What are we talking about now?" Tristan asked as he and Joey came upon the trio. Atem gave them a shrug.

"Oh you know, just Marik being all bodyguard-like," he said nonchalantly. At once, Joey bristled.

"What? Listen here, prima," Marik growled. "I'm Yugi's bodyguard, ya got that?" Tristan coughed. "Okay, me and Tristan are," he amended. "Point is, that position has already been filled!"

"Yeah, because you guys really don't need my help, never mind that I'm older and stronger than you, and could whip that guys ass in half the time it would take you to do it," Marik said sarcastically.

Yugi tuned out the argument and leaned back against the lockers.

"You coming over this afternoon?" He whispered to Atem. The other boy smiled.

"You know it," he whispered back.

Atem wasn't ready to go public with his relationship with Yugi just yet, and Yugi respected that. It had only been a few weeks, and he would need more time to come to terms with all the changes in his life. Yes it meant that Yugi couldn't walk down the hall holding his hand, or kiss him by the lockers, or scream from the rooftops that Atem was the best kisser in the world… but he decided that he could deal with that for now.

Still, he hoped he wouldn't have to wait too long.

* * *

**Thank you to all my readers- you guys rock.**

**A very special thank you to all my reviewers- you guys rock harder. I could not have done this without your support and feedback, and I can't wait to see you in the sequel; keep watch for it, it will be called "Teenage Dreams."**

**~Angel.**


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